


Stories By That Annoying FuRyo Person

by SamCyberCat



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Hell Kaiser never happened, Angst, Canon Compliant, Character Death, Childhood, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Dubious Consent, F/M, Fanon, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Makeouts, Mildly Dubious Consent, Not Canon Compliant, Prom, Vampires, Wakes & Funerals, dated sexism, ran says no to homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 110
Words: 106,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26855923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: A selection of my older Yu-Gi-Oh! GX oneshots that I still feel hold up and haven't already reposted here. These are posted in the order they were originally written and cover a variety of characters, friendships and romantic ships. The only edits made to them are fixing grammar errors, etc. All of these were written between 2007 and 2014.
Relationships: Abidos the Third/Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson, Darkness | Nightshroud/Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale, Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix/Saiou Takuma | Sartorius, Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix, Kanou Martin | Marcel Bonaparte/Saotome Rei | Blair Flannigan, Kochou Ran | Missy & Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes, Makurada Junko | Jasmine/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale & Marufuji Shou | Syrus Truesdale, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale & Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale & Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes & Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix/Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes, Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale/Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes/Manjoume Jun | Chazz Princeton, Marufuji Shou | Syrus Truesdale & Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes, Marufuji Shou | Syrus Truesdale & Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes, Marufuji Shou | Syrus Truesdale & Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Marufuji Shou | Syrus Truesdale/Tyranno Kenzan | Tyranno Hassleberry, Misawa Daichi | Bastion Misawa/Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes, Principal Samejima | Chancellor Sheppard & Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale, Saiou Takuma | Sartorius & Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale, Saotome Rei | Blair Flannigan/Tyranno Kenzan | Tyranno Hassleberry, Saotome Rei | Blair Flannigan/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes & Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes, Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes & Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix, Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes & Saotome Rei | Blair Flannigan, Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki & Tenjouin Fubuki | Atticus Rhodes
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Edo/Juudai

**Author's Note:**

> The character/ship featured in each chapter will be listed as the title of that chapter.
> 
> \---
> 
> (chapter description)
> 
> Edo prided himself in being perfect. However his feelings were not perfect…

Perfection was just something that Edo Phoenix naturally achieved. He didn't have to try hard and somehow he was just good at everything he did. And he had the ego to go with it.

Why shouldn't he have the ego? If you're perfect, there's no point in trying to hide that from people. You might as well flaunt it. Or at least, that was the logic that he went by.

But recently, something had been bothering him. Something less than perfect.

Edo had always presumed that if he came to take a partner, it would be someone as brilliant as him. Or as close to being as brilliant as him as another person could get, anyway. They had to be in his league and…

…And it was true that this person _was_ in his league, as far as duelling went. He had to admit that. But that was where it ended. After that, Juudai Yuki was about as far away from perfect as they came.

So why did Edo keep thinking about him, even though he knew this?

It was probably because Edo and Juudai had been forced to remain in contact through circumstances, he reasoned to himself. Their destinies had been connected for a time.

Edo still thought of destiny sometimes. That everything that happened came to be for a reason. Something that was out of his control. He knew that he shouldn't believe this now that Juudai had taught him otherwise, but it still lingered in his mind. Something you've followed for so long was hard to shake off…

Did destiny say that he was to have feelings for Juudai? Somehow, he doubted it. That was just part of his imperfection. His emotions. The one part of him that he could not will to be perfect.

At least emotions are easy to hide. He'd never let Juudai know how he felt about him. But then again, neither did anyone else… As he thought about it, a lot of people liked Juudai, but not a lot of them made this known to Juudai himself. But somehow Edo knew they liked Juudai, despite that they'd not let any obvious hints slip. Did this mean that other people could have found out that he, himself, liked Juudai?

The thought of it worried him a little. A rumour like that could ruin his reputation.

With this in mind, he made tracks for the Red Dorm. This was where Juudai's gaggle of admirers usually stayed and if he was going to interrogate someone, then he would find them there.

Though luck, if that fabled belief held any more truth than destiny did, was not on his side today. The Red Dorm was not deserted, but the only one present there was Juudai himself.

"Hey," Juudai called cheerfully over from where he was sitting, as Edo walked through the door. Edo had a feeling that Juudai would have given an identically cheerful response regardless of which friend had walked in.

He did not return the greeting and chose to sit on the other end of the same extended seat as Juudai was using.

This didn't bother Juudai too much. He was used to this kind of attitude from Edo. He did have quite a few stubborn friends and knew the best way to handle them was to take their attitude with a pinch of salt.

As Juudai was thinking of something to break the silence, Edo unusually spoke first, "Juudai, you're a guy with a lot of friends aren't you?"

"That's true," Juudai responded, "Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering, speaking as someone who doesn't have as much experience with friends as you do, how can you tell what they think of you?" he questioned, hoping he'd hidden his true reasons for the question well enough.

Looking up thoughtfully, Juudai said, "You know, I'm not really sure. When it comes to friends, its best not to worry about that too much, because then you'll be too distracted to just have fun with them."

"But you must notice at least that Manjoume isn't fond of you," Edo pursued; worried that Juudai would change the subject to friendship in general.

"He is," Juudai said with certainty, "He just doesn't tend to show it when he can avoid it. But when the situation calls for it, I can always count on Manjoume to help me out. He's kind of like you in that respect."

Edo decided he would hold off feeling insulted at that comment for the moment.

"And what about Shou? Don't you think he likes you a bit too much?" he tried again. Everyone knew Shou had a crush on Juudai. If Juudai didn't notice Shou's attraction, then he wouldn't notice anyone's.

"You can't like someone too much," Juudai assured, and Edo inwardly smirked about how wrong Juudai was on that point, "You know what your problem is, Edo?"

"My problem?" Edo was taken back. He was supposed to be the one judging Juudai, not the other way around. Plus he couldn't stop himself from being insulted that Juudai would even consider he had a problem.

"You spend too much time judging people," Juudai answered, "You're always hanging back and watching, instead of taking part. You should just stop worrying about what people think of you and get involved a little more. There isn't anyone around here who means you any harm."

He should stop worrying?

Stop thinking about being seen as perfect by everyone?

A silent rage bubbled up inside of him. How dare Juudai. First, Juudai shattered his belief in destiny and now he was trying to tell him that perfection didn't matter either?

How would he know? _He wasn't perfect!_ Not like Edo who was perfect…

…Because he was destined to be perfect. That was what he'd told himself before, and Saiou had reassured him it was true. But then Juudai undoubtedly proved there was no such thing as destiny. Since then, Edo had just presumed he was perfect because that's the way things were.

But without destiny, every choice that he could make was his own. Including the choice not to be perfect.

Edo's silent contemplation was starting to worry Juudai a little.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Edo nodded, half snapping back to reality and half still stuck in his mind. He looked at Juudai with an oddly preoccupied gaze that only helped to increase the worry a notch.

"You know, just because I said you should come out of your shell a bit doesn't mean that –"

But Juudai was cut off.

Edo had swiftly taken hold of the side of his head and forced him into a kiss. Once he had him there, Edo let loose all his feelings, all of his imperfection, into this kiss. He wanted Juudai to know exactly what 'getting involved a little more' would mean for Edo. What it would mean for Juudai. Because if he was going to pursue feelings for someone who wasn't perfect, he was going to make sure he'd do so better than anyone else who wanted Juudai did.

Once they resurfaced from the kis,s Edo felt a lot better. Juudai, however, looked in a state of total confusion.

"You just… why did you…?" he stammered.

"Because you told me I should stop watching from a distance and get involved more," Edo replied, "And I want to get involved with you."

Juudai nodded mutely. If Edo had realised that kissing him would make him shut up beforehand, he would have done it long ago.

"So what now?" Juudai managed to come out with.

"What do you mean 'what now?'"

"Normally I just plough straight on from one event to another," Juudai answered, he was more aware of the way he acted than people realised, "But I don't know where to go from this. I didn't imagine I'd be in a situation like this at any point."

"Well, you can either tell me to get lost or go out with me," Edo said, sounding more casual then he felt.

"Telling you to get lost would be pretty mean…"

"Not as mean as pretending to like you when you don't," was the firm response.

Juudai paused to think about this before saying, "Its not that I don't like you. Its just that I haven't considered if I like you more then a friend."

"And now that you have?"

"I still don't know," Juudai replied honestly, "But you're the first person who's ever really shown me how they've felt. And this could be an opportunity that I only get once. If I walk away from it, I might regret it later…" Seeing the blank expression from Edo, he decided to confirm, "I want to give it a try. Its not like I'd be pretending to like you, its just that I don't know yet. If we try this out, we'll both get to see how it works together."

Part of Edo's attraction towards Juudai was probably the admiration that he was willing to risk things like this. There was a chance that a relationship between them could go terribly wrong, but he wanted to give it a try anyway. In the past, Edo wouldn't have dreamed pursuing a relationship unless he knew it was destined to go well. But now…

Now he was willing to try a little harder. Putting his trust in Juudai had worked out beforehand, so he would risk hoping it would work out again.

"I'd like that," Edo admitted. It was one of the few sentences he'd spoken in a long time that was truly genuine and didn't have any double meaning to it.

They both sat smiling at each other for some time. Edo thought they would have looked pretty stupid if anyone was around to watch them. But that was the whole point; there was no one to watch. No one to judge if he was perfect or not. Because when it came down to it…

The biggest judge of his perfection was himself.


	2. Saiou & Ryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saiou liked to know the motivation of others. It helped him discover their weaknesses when convincing them to join the Hikari no Kessha. But some people are so normal that it’s abnormal.

The Hikari no Kessha leader sat with his fingers intertwined, watching his nails with a most troubled expression on his face.

It wouldn't take long to enlist the whole academy as his minions. Children were impressionable, and a lot of the students were followers, which made things easier. Particularly since he'd got hold of Manjoume and Asuka. Both of them were very influential among students, he'd found.

He thought about Manjoume, his first follower. How easy that had been. It probably wouldn't have even taken psychic powers to get into his head. His desire in life had been obvious: to defeated Juudai. Even if he had come to deny it himself, it was easy to provoke him far enough for his want to surface.

Others had been easier still. Misawa had been loyal to his friends, but his friends in turn had not been loyal to him. His want for their attention had been his downfall.

Asuka… He had not fully understood her reasons. He felt it may have something to do with Manjoume, but as long as she was loyal to him, there wasn't a need to look into it further.

Everyone had some flaw that he could use against them. Everyone had something that they wanted. Something he could get under their skin about.

Granted he wasn't always successful in acquiring them, but at least he had a starting point to work from.

But now he was faced with someone who he could not gather an understanding of. Ryo Marufuji had returned from the Pro Leagues upon hearing what had happened at Duellist Academia. Not only were a lot of his friends still students there, but also Samejima had been his mentor for a long time and he wanted to help out in any way he could.

This in itself didn't bother Saiou. He knew Ryo was one of the top duellists from the academy, so having him in the Hikari no Kessha would be extremely beneficial. Getting him in the Hikari no Kessha was a different matter entirely.

The obvious weaknesses did not work. Unlike Manjoume, he had no unbeatable rival. He and Juudai were both the same level of skill. Unlike Misawa, he wasn't the kind of person who got ignored, though he'd probably prefer it if he was. Saiou felt he'd be able to use Asuka against Ryo, as the two of them had been close, but it seemed a desire to rescue her was stronger than a desire to be with her.

It was almost as if the boy had nothing. Nothing seemed to corrupt him. He was so bland, so emotionless, and so normal. Like a blank canvas.

A blank canvas that required paint. If Ryo had no weaknesses, then Saiou would have to create some himself. He was more than willing to do so.

It wasn't difficult to catch Ryo alone, either. When it came to recruiting individual strong members, Saiou preferred to get them away from the group. And Ryo took refuge in being on his own.

It was the lighthouse where he found him, at night. People had said this was far from an unusual place for Ryo to be.

He approached, his stride proud. He knew that Ryo was aware of who he was, so there'd be no point in lurking in the shadows. The light was pure and hated shadows…

Ryo didn't show any surprise at his arrival. He'd probably expected it. He just glanced over with that expression that was far too blank, too normal to actually be considered normal.

"I suppose you know why I'm here," Saiou said, formally.

"You're wasting your time," Ryo replied. It should have been considered a threat, but the way he said it made it sound like a passing comment.

"That will be for me to decide," was the return, as Saiou took to observing Ryo close up for the first time.

People could usually be read easily by their eyes. Even if they stood strong on the outside, their eyes would give away the fear they truly felt on the inside. Or if they had a determined glare, then alternate ways to knock them down had to be looked for. But Ryo's eyes were neither weak nor determined. They were decisively blank. As if they had a lot to say, but they were damn well not going to say anything to you.

Saiou threw in a question that he knew wouldn't work, "What about Asuka? Don't you miss her?"

"I do. But she's not seeing sense right now, and I'd rather have her back safely than be with her while she's like this," Ryo replied honestly.

A little too honestly.

'I'd rather have her back' eh? Saiou knew an opening when he saw one.

"Do you love her?" he asked tauntingly.

"No, I care for her," Ryo answered, not giving away anything with those eyes.

"Do you love anyone?" Saiou tried intrusively.

Ryo grunted dismissively, but his eyes gave away too much this time.

"It must be hard," Saiou mused aloud, "Being the way you are, no one could love you."

"But I don't want love," Ryo said quietly, as if this ended the discussion.

"Everyone wants love," corrected Saiou, as if he knew.

He could sense in the air that Ryo was feeling awkward. It was now or never, as if he let one falter slip by he probably wouldn't get another one to work from. He stepped forward, grabbing Ryo's face in his hand. A hand that despite looking bony somehow was still as smooth as Ryo's young skin.

Naturally Ryo struggled. He pulled back, taking a step towards the edge of the dock. He couldn't step back further without falling and Saiou was blocking any escape route he may have had. He cursed himself for falling into such an easy trap.

The demonic individual stepped closer still; bearing that grin he wore when he knew the chase was truly afoot. He placed an arm around Ryo, pulling him forward painfully by the small of his back. There was something visible in those eyes now, was it fear? He couldn't tell but he really didn't care. Because the sooner he could make him beg for mercy, the sooner he could force him to join the Hikari no Kessha.

But there was something he could recognise in those eyes: himself reflected. The twisted face that he did not want to see. Half of it grinning like a maniac and the other half crying at the deeds he was doing. He always tried to hide the true half of himself away. He hated these moments when it surfaced to interrupt him.

Ryo was obviously confused by this; he'd never seen a face like it. Two powerful, contrasting emotions. Both contrasting with his own lack of emotion.

But as he watched, one half of the face consumed the other. Surprisingly, enough it was the crying face that won over.

The grip on Ryo's back softened and gently pulled him further from the ledge, so he could stand solidly on the ground.

Ryo looked at the face, searching for an explanation.

One was not provided, but he saw the mouth slowly form the word "Run" as the tears started to vanish and the smile returned.

For this occasion, Ryo decided to listen to this advice and left swiftly. He felt that he escaped the situation unharmed, but Saiou knew that the canvas of Ryo's being was a little less blank now.


	3. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki obsesses over light bulbs. Ryo tries to stop this.

The light clicked on.

The light clicked off.

Then it clicked on again

The process repeated.

Ryo knew he had only himself to blame, really. While he spent most of his time studying, even when he wasn't, he tended to read educational books and watch educational programmes. One of the shows he'd had on recently was about the production of light bulbs. He hadn't really paid much attention to it, he had other things to do, but Fubuki had paid a little too much attention...

His friend was a very random individual. He went through fazes of doing whatever he felt like doing at the time. And because of Ryo, the current faze was light bulbs.

So, now Fubuki stood by the door, turning the light on and off with a fascination that was normally only associated with a demented five year old who had just reached the right height to play with the light switch.

If it were only a day-long faze, this would have been fine. But he was into his third day already and still going strong. It seemed to only make him worse when Ryo had said it annoyed him.

There was studying to be done and having a light turning on and off while you're trying to study strongly prevented it from being completed. Something had to be done.

It was the fourth night now. Fubuki would come to Ryo's room, as he always did. He seemed to prefer being around Ryo's room than being alone in his own room. Then the light switch abuse would begin. Only this time, it wouldn't.

Fubuki opened the door and peered into the gloom.

He asked, "Ryo, are you there?" But he presumed his friend would be out.

"I'm here," came the response, causing Fubuki to jump slightly.

"It's very dark..."

"I know."

Fubuki tried the light switch but nothing happened. The light did not come on.

"I think your bulb's blown," he said, glancing back down the corridor. Which was also pretty dark, now he came to notice it...

"It's not, I just removed it," Ryo replied, levelly.

"You what? Why?" Fubuki said, as if this was more insane than his own antics over the past few days.

"Because your demonstration made a fine point," he lied, "We can manage fine without light bulbs."

"Th-that's not what I meant..." Fubuki mumbled, stepping inside the room and closing the door.

He could have very well gone to his own room, but Ryo knew he wouldn't. Not that it'd make any difference, Ryo had removed all the light bulbs from there, too.

"What did you mean then?" Ryo asked with mock-innocence.

"I... well... Now that you mention it I don't know what I meant..." Fubuki muttered. He knew Ryo was doing this to annoy him and began looking for his friend in the room. It was difficult though, as it was too dark to see much.

"You need to put the light bulbs back!"

"No, I don't feel like it."

"It's not funny!"

"Do you hear me laughing?"

"You're laughing on the inside, I know it."

"Are you scared of the dark?"

"Don't even go there!"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"If you loved me, you'd give me the light bulbs back!"

"Don't you even go there!"

Fubuki had hit on lucky while stumbling in the darkness, he'd hit something that he presumed was Ryo.

Ryo, however, didn't consider this to be so lucky and reached out to elbow Fubuki back.

"Don't touch that!" Fubuki yelped.

"Touch what?" Ryo asked, dreading the response.

"If I need to answer, that then you're dumber than what I thought you were for taking away the light bulbs," Fubuki replied.

"I was only trying to make a point!" Ryo insisted.

"Well you could have just-"

The response was cut short as he tripped over Ryo and they both fell. There was a loud 'thud' and the sound of two boys wincing.

A few seconds later, a shout could be heard from further up the corridor. They couldn't make it out exactly, but it sounded like the Italian accent of Chronos, shouting for quiet as lights out was a few minutes ago. He had no idea what a bad pun he'd just made.

Both of them pulled themselves into a sitting position, Ryo being leant on by Fubuki, as his friend didn't want to lose him again.

"Ryo?" Fubuki asked, sounding a little pitiful.

"Yes?"

"Can you put the light bulbs back now?"

"Of course."


	4. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 50 sentences about the Ryo/Fubuki pairing.

#01 - Comfort

It was no comfort to watch him draw closer, his grin constantly bearing his amusement and his eyes matched this as a sign he was not lying.

#02 - Kiss

Everyone knew that Fubuki would certainly 'kiss and tell' as he had kissed everyone, except for Ryo – which made his claim about 'everyone' a lie.

#03 - Soft

"Your skin is soft…" Fubuki winced as he felt Ryo's nails gripping into the skin he had just claimed to be so soft, "…I hate that."

#04 - Pain

"It's not that being with you causes me any sort of pain," It was the first time Fubuki had really spoken to Ryo since their duel, "It's just that I really don't care anymore."

#05 - Potatoes

Cooking was a complete nightmare when your guest refused to eat anything other than 'simple' foods, and when Fubuki pointed out that potatoes were simple, the said vegetable only received an angry glare from Ryo.

#06 - Rain

Fubuki hadn't really forgotten his jacket; he'd purposely left it to see if Ryo would offer him his own once it started to rain.

#07 - Chocolate

"What sort of person would put chocolate in a sandwich anyway?" Ryo asked as they walked away from the cart that Tome prepared daily for the students, and Fubuki made sure that Ryo didn't see what was inside his lunch box for the rest of the day.

#08 - Happiness

Happiness, Fubuki knew, was when he was spending time with Ryo, forcing him to pose for his camera repetitively.

#09 - Telephone

"What is the point in owning a phone if you never answer it?" mumbled Fubuki, as the tone chimed for the fourth time – on the fifth ring, Ryo answered.

#10 - Ears

It was all Ryo could do to sit there continuing to look stoically ahead, not covering his ears while Fubuki and Ran had what appeared to be a shouting match with each other.

#11 - Name

Fubuki blatantly advertised that his name meant 'blizzard' as part of his idol image, while Ryo silently expected others to realise his name meant 'brilliance'.

#12 - Sensual

It was Fubuki's talent as a natural born flirt to make everything he did when he wanted someone's attention to seem so damn sensual, and for all it annoyed Ryo, he couldn't stop himself from watching.

#13 - Death

He wasn't there at Ryo's death; and while the circumstances were the reasons that prevented it, the conclusion was inevitable that even if those circumstances hadn't stopped him, he still wouldn't have been there.

#14 - Sex

"How could you know you hate sex if you've never tried it?" Was the response, and Ryo just knew he wouldn't hear the end of this for a long time.

#15 - Touch

He felt someone's touch from behind him and opened his eyes to see he was surrounded with younger students he didn't know, but somehow he knew that touch was familiar to him.

#16 - Weakness

It was impossible to show Ryo that weakness was a character trait and not a character flaw; Ryo probably thought the reverse about him.

#17 - Tears

He didn't see his friend at all for weeks after the incident and the tears continued for much longer than that; it just felt so wrong for the usually cheerful Fubuki to be like this.

#18 - Speed

It shouldn't be possible for a human to move with such speed, and it certainly reduced Ryo chances of escape.

#19 - Wind

"I'll never understand how you always keep that hair of yours in place, even when the wind is this strong," Ryo muttered, and as he pushed one of his own locks out of his face, he saw Fubuki wink at him.

#20 - Freedom

The ceased presence of that mask had been the start of Fubuki's freedom, in the same way that continued presence of the wheelchair had been the removal of Ryo's.

#21 - Life

There was always too much life in Fubuki - he was forward and energetic about everything to the point that Ryo sometimes felt he was living for both of them.

#22 - Jealousy

Jealousy did not exist amongst the elite; there was absolutely no way that either of them would admit this statement wasn't true.

#23 - Hands

He watched the door lock click out of place from the other side and had to admit that it was pretty amazing what that boy could do with his hands.

#24 - Taste

"You have absolutely no taste in men," Fubuki said with a dramatic sigh, and Ryo froze at the last two words in that statement.

#25 - Devotion

Devotion was for people who intended to live long lives, and they both come to a silent agreement that they did not fit into that category.

#26 - Forever

The only time Ryo had ever come to him for help instead of the other way around was when the essay brief had contained the word 'forever'.

#27 - Blood

At the sight of the blood trailing around Ryo's face, Fubuki couldn't help but be transported back to several years ago.

#28 - Sickness

In sickness or in… more sickness, was the only way their minds could be described most of the time.

#29 - Melody

In what Fubuki probably believed was a melody, the badly played sound of a ukulele came from outside, but Ryo was determined that he would sleep that night.

#30 - Star

The posters, magazines and screaming fans were the major drawbacks to being a star, but Ryo felt that the smug triumph of living Fubuki's dream was worth all of these.

#31 - Home

When you'd come to associate someone with the academia, you'd never expect to see them arrive at your own home, so Fubuki was of course unprepared when Ryo did turn up at his.

#32 - Confusion

The others talked in rushed confusion after seeing him appear on the TV dressed like that for the first time, but Fubuki had to admit that he'd seen it coming.

#33 - Fear

Before he'd even had time to ask himself if it was fear, the eyes had returned to their blank stare that was ever more assured by the dull blue colour, which stopped Ryo's eyes from ever standing out.

#34 - Lightning/Thunder

"Sometimes I do think Manjoume Thunder is beyond help," Fubuki shared with Ryo, after another failed attempt at setting the former Obelisk Blue up with his sister, "She catches onto him faster than lightning, poor guy."

#35 - Bonds

Nobody really saw any example of their bonds with one another; they just seemed to accept that they were best friends.

#36 - Market

Fubuki noted that, after Ryo had adopted the Hell Kaiser image, leather saw a peak in the fashion market that he probably should know better than to monitor.

#37 - Technology

The Cyber Dragon cards were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Ryo's silent love of technology, Fubuki mused as he watched his partner tap the letters on the keypad at a speed he couldn't manage himself.

#38 - Gift

It hadn't been his fault the ukulele had been broken in the first place, but it got the whole affair off his conscience when he saw how happy Fubuki was with his gift of a replacement.

#39 - Smile

"You're not allowed to smile anymore," Fubuki said firmly, and when Ryo raised an eyebrow he continued, "It's too much to think of all those puppies dying."

#40 - Innocence

He had to lean himself against Ryo's wheelchair because the laughter would have caused him to fall otherwise, "There is no way you can get away with telling me you have any sort of innocence left after what happened two years ago."

#41 - Completion

It wasn't until Ryo saw Shou standing in his place in the Pro Leagues that he felt a sense of completion in his life, and it wasn't until Fubuki saw this that he felt a sense of satisfaction for Ryo.

#42 - Clouds

"I'd really need to have more of an imagination than I do to join in with you on this game," Ryo informed, as Fubuki was trying to draw his attention to the odd shapes clouds made.

#43 - Sky

As the plane left the ground, both of their attentions were drawn to the sky in the way that only users of dragon cards could appreciate.

#44 - Heaven

"I don't care what you say, when you die, you will go to heaven," Fubuki insisted, in another attempt to show Ryo he had redeemed himself for what he'd done.

#45 - Hell

The word 'hell' lost it's charm pretty quickly for Fubuki in light of everything, and once Ryo realised it had lost it's charm for him, too, he came to the conclusion it was time to make a few changes.

#46 - Sun

"If you want to survive in this heat, then the leather's really going to have to go," Fubuki said with a grin, as he could always count on the sun to work to his advantage.

#47 - Moon

"Please don't tell me you've just done what I think you've done," Ryo whispered sharply, as he pulled Fubuki to aside after catching him moon Chronos during their field trip.

#48 - Waves

He was truly certain he wasn't going to think of Fubuki as he watched the waves – and now he was truly certain he'd just failed in not thinking of him…

#49 - Hair

It wouldn't have bothered Ryo so much if Fubuki's hair looked the way it did after spending hours seeing to it in the morning, however, it usually didn't take him more than ten minutes to get his hair looking like that.

#50 – Supernova

Any confession of romantic interest between them would be like a supernova of disaster that would destroy whatever remained of their friendship; in light of this, Fubuki decided it was now time to create that supernova.


	5. Ryo & Asuka (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asuka often wondered about Ryo’s relationship with her brother, so she caught him at a time when he could only be honest to her.

The only time Ryo ever expressed himself was at the lighthouse, and that was why Asuka trudged there everyday to speak to him. Because somehow, he had been her brother's closest friend, and therefore he was the only person who could possibly understand her when she talked about him.

Although initially she'd only wanted to talk to him because of her brother, she had hoped that over time she would get to know Ryo as a person, too. But this had not been an easy task. The boy had almost seemed more adamant to talk about her brother than she was. Most topics seemed to trail back to Fubuki.

She had wondered exactly how close the two of them were. Fubuki had told her that Ryo was a good friend, but Fubuki was very vague about everything. Or he had been, before he'd gone away…

And Ryo was the opposite problem. Any question asked to him would be replied with a short, sharp answer and that would be the end of it. But at least Ryo did answer questions, instead of vaguely edging around the subject.

So if she wanted to ask either of them about their friendship, he'd be the best bet. Although it wasn't as if she particularly had another option right now.

She walked down to the lighthouse. He was already there, but then, he always was. And he always stayed longer than she did, too. At least he was considerate enough to call their meetings short should it start to rain, but tonight it was not raining, merely windy. She absentmindedly pulled her skirt back to right as the wind pulled it to the side a little. Mentally she thanked that the academia issue skirts were made of a material so stiff that it didn't allow for much movement.

Ryo, on the other hand, didn't seem to care that the tail of his coat or his hair was being swept by the breeze. He just stood there, looking out to sea as he always was.

As she reached him, he made a small nod of acknowledgement but didn't look at her. As usual, it was her job to start the conversation, though in this situation, that worked to her advantage.

"How close were you and my brother, Ryo?" she asked, sounding casual.

He looked at her and frowned. They'd had similar conversations countless times before.

But before he could make any sort of comment, she cut in to elaborate, "I mean how close were you really? He said you were good friends, but is that truly all of it?"

His eyes faltered for a moment too long. The lighthouse left him powerless. This was the only place where he and Asuka spoke openly to each other and if he lied to her now, the bond it provided would be broken. He was backed into a corner.

"We were…" And he paused. Ryo often paused before answering, because he was the sort of person who considered his responses. He wasn't impulsive and that was why she enjoyed their talks. But this pause ran on too long. She was considering pressing him once more, but then he spoke again.

"…Closer than anyone, at least on my part. I can't speak for him, but I found it easier to be open around him than I did anyone else. Even my parents, even my brother, though in the case of the former, that wasn't particularly hard. And as sorry as I am to say it, even more than I can be with you."

She felt a pang of annoyance to hear that, but he rarely went into detail like this, so she allowed it to pass.

"If I'd never met him, I'm certain I'd be more reclusive than I am now."

That seemed to be the end of it, so she continued, "But were you… involved in him in another way. A more…" the word felt alien on her tongue, "…romantic way?"

So she had him powerless to the force of honesty. He smiled. She was getting almost as devious as her brother in her own way.

His head tilted towards the sky and her gaze followed his. As it did, a drop of water fell onto her nose.

"It's starting to rain, we should go," he said, turning to leave, as if this ended their discussion as it always did.

She stared after him in disbelief. How come even when she had him at the lighthouse, the place of truth for them, he somehow managed to worm his way out of actually saying any truth? Was the weather on his side, too?

She shook her head. It had been too easy to expect an answer to such a direct question anyway. Extracting an answer from Ryo took more than that. She would not give up at this. She would prove that she was not powerless to the rain, just as Ryo was not powerless to her questions.


	6. Darkness/Ryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness muses about himself, human nature and the subject of taboo. While trying to sleep with Ryo.

Convenience is good when you're not all-powerful. When you _are_ all-powerful you can do whatever you want regardless, but when you're not, sometimes it's best to go along with the flow until the balance starts to shift in your direction.

And for the so many thousand years Darkness had been awaiting a host, he had learnt patience. Obeying Kagemaru's whims for now was nothing to him. If it put him closer to a position of power than he would have been otherwise, then the man's words were fine by him.

But Kagemaru had his little rules, and these annoyed Darkness.

The first being that they weren't allowed to interact with the chosen guardians until they wanted to duel them. And the second, through some pointless chivalry, was that they were only allowed to challenge the duellists one at a time. Wouldn't it have been easier to attack all at once? The children wouldn't have stood a chance against the group together.

But whatever the reason, Kagemaru regarded approaching the students before being told to as taboo.

This didn't bother Darkness either way. When the time came, he would defeat his opponent and that was all there was to it. In the meantime, he would be patient.

He passed the time by looking into the mind of his current host. Not out of any sort of interest, just out of something to do. Hosts were easier to manipulate if you knew them.

Through this he learnt of Fubuki's life, and those around him. He knew Fubuki had a sister, but the girl was of no particular interest to Darkness. But while he was scanning, he did flicker across an image that did intrigued him.

A boy with blue hair. Who seemed to turn up quite a lot in Fubuki's mind, so he was probably a friend. By nature, Darkness was not a lustful creature, he merely had curiosity into the behaviours of humans. And the sexual manner was one he had not explored for a long time now.

He was also not by nature a law-abiding creature. So although Kagemaru had made the subject of interacting with the holders of the keys taboo, it didn't take a moment's thought for Darkness to break this law when he found out that this blue-haired boy was one of them.

It didn't take a moment's thought to draw the boy in, to mess with his mind through the familiarity to someone he once knew, to get him down and look upon the boy who he found so attractive through Fubuki's own desires for him.

But he didn't once consider that Ryo Marufuji was a person, not just an object from the memories of someone else.

He couldn't have known that Ryo was not like him, and respected the law so much that he didn't consider taboo for a moment. It wasn't so much the law as it was moral standards. Ryo couldn't be certain that this was one of the Seven Stars he'd heard about, but he was sure that if it was, then he would be letting his allies down by doing something so unthinkable.

And he knew Fubuki would not do this to him, therefore this person was not Fubuki.

He'd shoved Darkness off him just as the other saw a flicker of flesh from the chest under that shirt. It was unfortunate. Darkness could have fought back easily, though he doubted this boy would be physically weak, but he was not lustful as much as he was curious.

He was gone into the comfort of the night before Ryo had pulled his jacket on. He held no regret. There would be shifts in the world and when times changed, other activities would be seen as taboo, while laying with men would be acceptable. He just had to be patient. Patient and will Fubuki's mind to not think of Ryo. But if he couldn't, there would always be other hosts.

Darkness held no value for taboo. Taboo was subject to change for one willing to wait. And the dark held ultimate patience.


	7. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It takes a lot of work to do no work at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is manga-based.

There were posters. But then there were _always_ posters. Fubuki suspected that someone was making a lot of money out of designing posters for duel tournaments. Even though most of them were generally the same - jagged explosion patterns in the background with varying duel monsters in front. The only real difference was the text.

So he really wasn't part of the crowd gathered around the poster, chattering to each other. Because he didn't need to see the poster to know what it said.

He could imagine that Ryo knew about the tournament too, though he didn't for a moment think that Ryo would be one to hang around the posters. No doubt he would have found out from a formal e-mail sent to him from the principal of this academia.

No doubt that Ryo would enter, either.

Fubuki spent the afternoon in his room, mostly to avoid the talk. He liked the American students, they were very cheerful towards him, but he knew that now the tournament had been announced, he'd hear nothing from them but news of it.

Aimlessly, he played on some handheld games console as the door opened. He didn't need to look to know it was Ryo, but Fubuki was a friendly sort, so he glanced towards the door anyway, greeting the other with a cheerful smile.

The smile was returned by the usual blank frown, but Fubuki had learned to read Ryo through the eyes and knew his friend was generally content, though something was on his mind. No prizes for guessing what that was.

"The tournament?" Ryo asked, confirming this.

"So you saw the posters, then?" Fubuki said.

There was a roll of Ryo's eyes.

"We're expected to enter," he carried on, if Fubuki wasn't aware of this.

"Expected, are we?" Fubuki smirked.

"You know we are," Ryo sternly said, "We're here as the best students from our own academia, so we need to represent it as such. We have a responsibility."

Pushing up onto his elbows for support, Fubuki said, "And what if I don't enter?"

"Then you'd fail your responsibility to the academia."

"The thing about that..." Fubuki's smile was still there, but his eyes were serious, "...is that I didn't actually come here to make our academia look good as much as I came for a free holiday and to flirt with girls from another country."

A scoff from the other boy, though it wasn't as if he hadn't been expecting it.

"Plus, I wouldn't want to let my responsibility down," Fubuki teased, knowing this would get Ryo's attention.

"A responsibility that requires you to not represent our facility?" Ryo asked.

"Absolutely. I have a responsibility to not take responsibility."

When it was clear that the other boy was lost at this concept, Fubuki stood up from the bed and walked towards him, "A responsibility to you."

"How does-" Ryo started, but he was cut off by Fubuki.

"We're both the kings of the academia for a reason, Ryo. We are rivals, both as good as each other." A pause while Fubuki waited for a nod from Ryo to see that he understood, "We could both enter this tournament and one of us would win. The other would lose. And personally, I'm not ready for the competition between us to end, nor do I think this is the right place to end it." He moved his face too close to Ryo's, "I don't want to end the spark between us."

It was worth the explanation to see the look of bewilderment on Ryo's face. It wasn't an expression that was seen often. There was even a flush of colour in Ryo's cheeks for just long enough for Fubuki to notice.

"I have a responsibility to you, to let you win the tournament unobstructed." as he said this, Fubuki pulled back from Ryo, walking back over to the bed where he picked up the game he'd been playing and unpaused it. Thus continuing his responsibility to pale from the concept of doing work.


	8. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Was Ryo really the one who was the stranger here?

A stranger.

Someone you did not know.

It was obvious that none of them knew Ryo, under his new alias 'Hell Kaiser', anymore. Least of all Fubuki. That had been made certain during their duel.

Sure, he'd put on a brave face, but everyone knew the truth of the matter. Everyone looked at him.

And because everyone looked at him, they did not see the other side of the situation. It wasn't as if it were even a possibility they'd consider there was another side to start with. Ryo was the stranger, not them.

But as he stood, watching them gather around the fallen form of Fubuki, he realised that they were all strangers. Not even referring to the Kenzan child that he was unfamiliar with. Each of them were no longer people he knew.

As much as he tried to stop it most of the time, for a moment, his mind was shifted back to the cage. To the realisation that he was utterly alone. When they had not been there to help him out as they always were for each other. That was when they had exposed themselves to him as strangers. People he did not know.

It had hurt.

Fubuki had hurt him most of all. And this surprised him, because he thought that it would have been Shou who had hurt him most of all. But no. Every time these thoughts of the cage surfaced themselves, the image of his best friend, the boy he'd _thought_ was his best friend, came forward. Clear as crystal in his mind, stinging him.

Why had he not been there?

…When Ryo had needed him, anyway. He was here now. But Ryo did not need him anymore. This boy was a stranger, all those who surrounded him were strangers, too. They stood with the wall of false friendship, watching him through eyes that suggested they did not know him anymore.

But the truth was the he no longer knew them, he no longer knew Fubuki. Though his eyes gave no hint of this to them.

So Ryo walked away from the stranger, and left to look for the best friend that was forever gone.


	9. Fubuki & Ran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls were hopeless at deciding what they wanted without Ran to guide them. Fubuki, however, knew that what he wanted was different to Ran.

Nine was that age when children started to become awkward.

Well, not so much _become_ awkward as start to realise that there are things in life that were awkward. Suddenly, they started to notice that smearing pudding on the walls was not only a silly thing to do, but it's also a little embarrassing. While a few years before, there would have been no second thought about pudding and putting it on the walls.

Of course, there was margin for the development of each individual child, but it was generally accepted that by the age of nine, each child in the class had some conscious thought about what they should or shouldn't do.

Because of this, (or more accurately, because of society) nine was generally the age when boys and girls split into gender groups. In earlier years, boys and girls would hang around with each other, but for the current class, the boys stayed with the boys while the girls stayed with the girls.

There was one exception to this.

Fubuki hung around with the girls. It was viewed as odd by the staff, but even at the age to recognise something awkward, the children were overruled by habit. Fubuki had always hung around with the girls. It had been true for so long that neither of the gender groups wanted to fix it. The girls enjoyed his company too much to send him away and the boys made no effort to try to take him back.

So at the break, he sat down with them in the school park, as always, talking about various subjects. Today's topic was boys.

The topic had interested Fubuki because a year earlier, it had yielded the result "boys are icky", but now it seemed that the girls were regarding boys as being less icky than they first thought. The boys in their class would always be icky of course, however, it now seemed that there were other boys in the world who weren't icky.

They discussed at length the sorts of boys who looked good, the scrapings of conversations they'd heard their older sisters talk about on the phone to their boyfriends, how they'd want a boy to give them presents and how one of them had even bought one of those glossy pink magazines with pictures of smiling boys on the cover.

But they were all spoken about briefly, as if this was not only unknown territory, but dangerous territory that they would get in trouble for getting involved with.

There was the sound of a tongue clicking from behind them and the gaggle of young girls, along with Fubuki, turned around.

Ran was much regarded as being the unofficial leader of the group. She was taller than all of them, and if there was ever a fight with the boys, then it would be Ran that would be turned to so it could be sorted out. One look at her showed that she was not shy of the realm of teenagers. Her face was plastered with heavy makeup, her heels were high and her skirt was short. Some of the girls even said she was developing, but Fubuki didn't know what this meant - the girls were smart enough to not include him in _some_ conversations.

A lot of the girls thought Ran was annoying, but Fubuki liked her. He admired the way she spoke out and never particularly agreed with what the group said just for the sake of not making waves. Ran was the waves. It seemed that right now she was determined to point this out.

"What do you babies think you're talking about?" She scoffed, shaking her head in a way that caused her heavy hoop earrings to jingle.

"We're talking about boys. Not that you'd know about that," said one of the braver girls, to the general murmur of agreement from the group.

A humph sound was made from Ran, who stuck her nose in the air and said, "It's clear from listening to you that you don't know anything about them. You talk about boys as if they're all the same. Have any of you even consider what type of boy you want?" There was a general silence in the area that allowed for Ran to continue, "If you just say you want a boy, then you could end up with a snotty-nosed one like those guys playing on the jungle gym over there."

This caused a great deal of gasping from the group, who gathered closer to Ran, asking her to tell them how they could get the boys that they wanted.

She seemed eager to inform them on how they should live their lives and so began, "Well you should want a real boy, like the ones who are on TV. And to get one of those, you can't hide in the corner or they'll never see you. You've got to look attractive like I do, so all the boys will fall for your charms. When I pick out a husband, he will be the best of the best, not some second-rate."

There was much chatter from the girls, who's mothers would probably soon find that make-up was to be added to their Christmas lists.

This got a grin from Ran. They knew that she was right. It was just unfortunate for her that in years to come the attitude that got her regarded as they most realistic of the group would then get her labelled as the most deluded. As her face went from one sheep to another, her eyes lay on Fubuki. He was not gossiping like the rest of the girls, but instead looking thoughtfully at nothing in particular. Of course he was excluded from the discussion of boys on account of being a boy. But this wasn't enough for Ran.

"What sort of boy would you want, Fubuki?" she asked sharply.

The other girls got in before him by saying, "Don't be stupid Ran, he's a boy. He doesn't want a boyfriend."

"I told you there were different types of boys!" shouted Ran, causing those who spoke against her to wither, "Fubuki is not like the boys over there, so I was asking him."

She looked back at Fubuki, and the others looked at him too, though Fubuki was still staring into space.

Just before the frame of time that a preschooler's attention would run out was up, he said, "It's all about balance, really. I don't just want a guy because he looks pretty, I want one that can do the things that I can't. And maybe I could do the things that he can't. That would be the best for me."

His mind flickered briefly to the blue-haired boy he saw while walking to school sometimes, but before he could reflect on thi,s his attention was stirred back to the concerned chatter of the girls.

"You wanted Fubuki to be one of us, and you now see that he is," Ran told the group, as if this settled the fact that Fubuki would rather have a boyfriend than a girlfriend. But while they were sloping off into smaller groups to talk, Ran went over to Fubuki and said, "You really put a lot of thought into it, huh? You want a boy to balance you out and I want one who's perfect. At least with that sort of difference in needs, we can be sure we'll never be competing over the same boy."


	10. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samejima tries to create a situation where Ryo would not lose his solid respect for others, despite constantly winning duels.

Respect for your opponent was an art that took some effort to learn. It was viewed that Ryo was probably respectful by nature, but trained over time by Samejima until this respect hardened into an almost unbreakable resolve.

He didn't particularly care about winning or losing in duels, as long as he knew there was respect between the opponents. But regardless, winning seemed to come naturally to him as well. He never, to his memory, lost a match.

And victory bred arrogance, the enemy of respect.

As much as he tried to fight off the arrogance, he was young, and thus it was hard to stop a bit of smugness leaking through. He knew all of the opponents in the academia, he had analysed their deck styles and could know what they were going to do almost play for play. He still respected them, but he didn't get a challenge from them anymore.

Samejima had been aware of this for quite sometime. It concerned him. He had to admit that due to being a student of his prior to the academia, Ryo was a bit higher on his priority list than most. And though he tried to avoid having favourites, this was not helped by Ryo ascending through the ranks to become the top duellist in the space of a few months.

He knew Ryo was not the best duellist in the world, but none of the students that were here were better than him.

Ryo needed competition. He needed a rival.

And Samejima had looked through the records of the academia to find one during in the hours when he should have been working. He'd got to the point where he was even looking through the reject list.

He found what he was looking for on the reject list.

A student who had done well in the entrance exam, who'd showed a high level of competence in the test duel, but had somehow been rejected without much explanation. Samejima's eyes trailed onto the teacher who had overseen the entrance exams. Chronos. Now that made sense. As much as Samejima thought Chronos was a suitable judge of students, he was aware that the teacher sometimes turned away students who seemed to insult him. That must have been the cause in this case.

Fubuki Tenjoin.

He put the file on his desk and made a note to contact the boy's family later.

A week moved on.

Ryo sat in one of the numerous study halls going through his deck and a collection of cards that were interchangeable. He had a notebook and was scribbling down pros and cons as he went. Deck improvement was one of the few things at the moment that seemed to be putting his mind to work.

He leaned back and sighed. It may have been melodramatic, but there was no one in the room to hear him at this time. Perhaps he had received too much of a good thing here. Perhaps it would be challenging to lose once in a while. It would certainly help to dispel the arrogance that was blocking out the respect he had for the students.

There were footsteps from further up the room. Ryo's eyes widened slightly as he thought that someone may have heard him acting a bit over the top a few seconds ago.

As he looked around, he saw another student putting some books down at the desk - one he did not recognise. Ryo's mind started to race at this. He was analytical and tended to remember people based on the deck they used, but here was someone who he couldn't place a deck to his name.

The student looked up from the books and met his gaze before Ryo could look away and pretend he hadn't been paying attention.

"Are you, um, Marufuji?" the boy asked uncertainly.

A nod.

"I am Ryo Marufuji, yes," he replied, "Why would you want to speak with me?"

"Samejima told me to see you," the boy shrugged, as if it didn't make much difference to him either way, "Name's Fubuki, by the way."

In his own mind, Ryo frowned slightly. Samejima did something concerning him without discussing it with him first? This was unusual and uncalled for.

"For what reason?" he responded shortly.

"He wanted me to deal with your respect," Fubuki told him.

"There's nothing wrong with my respect," informed Ryo, feeling stung further that Samejima would talk about a subject so close to them both with another.

The boy frowned and said, "You know, I really think there is. You haven't shown me any respect since I walked in, and you don't even know me." A pang of guilt ran down Ryo as he saw the truth in this, "He told me that I should duel you, and then everything would sort itself out."

He'd never turned down a challenge for a duel yet and he didn't intend to start. He had a rough idea what Samejima wanted from this, so he decided to go through with it.

For the first time since a few weeks after he enrolled, Ryo found that he was having to think during a duel. He genuinely didn't know what Fubuki was going to do, and he knew instantly that this boy was as good as he.

The only way for Ryo to break out of his slump was for him not to win, Samejima knew. He was getting it too easy in the academia. And yet… he couldn't bring himself to put his favoured student in a situation where he would lose.

For the first time, Ryo did not win a duel. For the first time, it ended in a draw.

The two boys looked at each other, and now they were equals. Respect had been earned.


	11. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo was hard to please when it came to food, so he was cautious when Fubuki offered to buy him a sandwich.

"You're sure this has nothing in it?"

Fubuki shook his head.

"Of course it has nothing in it. I checked. Is this how you thank me for going out of my way to get the only stupid sandwich that you'll eat?"

The academia cafeteria was indeed a place of wonder and sometimes tears when it came to the food. Sandwiches were easy to prepare, so everyday, there was a cart full of them that people could grab whatever they wanted from. The problem being that all the sandwiches were in identical packages and you couldn't put one back once you'd drawn it.

This wasn't a problem for someone like Juudai, who'd gladly eat mostly all sandwiches he drew, but some people were much fussier eaters than him.

Ryo in particular only ate one sort of sandwich. And many a girl had been turned down because she'd tried to give him a present of a sandwich, but drew a flavour that Ryo wouldn't eat.

So, for the most part, Ryo drew his own sandwich, and always drew the one that he'd want.

Only Fubuki was informed of the truth behind Ryo's tastes: Ryo liked his sandwiches empty. Referred to affectionately by the menu as a "plain sandwich" but effectively just two slices of bread with nothing in them. Since Ryo had low tolerance for the taste of anything, this was suitable for him, even though many other diners felt ripped off if they found a sandwich that had no filling.

So, Fubuki had insisted that he would buy Ryo lunch and draw the right sandwich. He wasn't as sure about his draw as Ryo was, because in general Fubuki wasn't too fussy about what he ate. He'd tried hard to draw the sandwich that Ryo liked, though.

And now his friend was staring suspiciously at the package as they sat at a table, but out of trust to Fubuki, wouldn't check what was inside.

Fubuki just grinned and motioned Ryo to eat it.

He did so, chewing thoughtfully as he ate. He was still being grinned at by Fubuki while he did, but the sandwich tasted as good as always, so he swallowed.

"Thank you, you did draw the correct one," Ryo told him.

"About that," Fubuki sides were shaking as he tried to stop laughing long enough to talk, "I lied. That wasn't a plain sandwich at all - it was one of Tome's cook sandwiches."

Indignation at being caught out crossed Ryo's face, but Fubuki had already vaulted off the seat and started to run before the other boy recovered enough to head after him, yelling various accusations of abuse.


	12. Rei (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei knows that she loves Ryo, but she needs to find out more about him to get him to love her back. Perhaps spying on him and his closest friend could help her, or hinder her.

Fubuki stopped himself from making comment as Ryo pushed to door closed. But it was hard. Oh man, it was hard. He smirked at his friend as he saw a look of frustration cross his face.

"Don't say a word!" Ryo growled, glancing up at him with his back against the door.

"Wouldn't dream of," purred Fubuki. Though he had broken that pact right there.

He listened to the outside of the door as various degrees of screaming issued from female mouths. And though he wouldn't say it, he did warn Ryo that this would happen. Though Ryo had discarded the caution. Usually he would have been more careful, but he'd been eager to join a tournament since the holidays began. He wanted to see what sort of opponents the world away from the academia currently had to offer. What he hadn't expected was screaming girls following him home after he'd won. Fubuki saw that coming from a mile off.

"How was the tournament, then?" He cheerfully asked Ryo, ignoring the noise.

"Other than them, it was good," confessed Ryo, "The final was between myself and a respectable female duellist. She was young, but I admired her skill and think she'd make a good student one day."

"Not one of that lot?" Fubuki gestured towards the door.

Raising and eyebrow at him, Ryo shook his head; "She'd be too young to go after me in that way."

This made Fubuki laugh a little. Ryo genuinely had no idea how girls worked.

It didn't take long for the gaggle of stalkers outside to lose interest. Slowly it grew quieter and quieter until there was no sound at all. Meanwhile, both Ryo and Fubuki had been carrying on with various summer essays and TV watching – in Fubuki's case – even through the noise.

The two of them had taken a hotel room during the tournament because it was closer to the site than either of them lived. Though not unusually, at the last moment, Fubuki had dropped out of entering the tournament.

When the programme Fubuki was watching ceased to be interesting and the volume from outside the room was quiet enough, he walked over to Ryo, who was pouring over books that were sprawled out on a desk in front of him. Ryo always found a desk when he needed to work. It was a law of nature.

He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and commented, "You don't need to do that now."

"The tournament was a whole day out of studying, I need to catch up," insisted Ryo.

"You're in a hotel, relax," said Fubuki, pulling the chair back with his other hand.

Ryo looked up at him and answered, "I have no desire to watch TV with you. No matter what you say - 'How It's Made' is not funny."

"It's pretty sexual though," joked Fubuki, more to himself than Ryo, before saying in a louder tone, "Perhaps we wouldn't watch TV."

"What do you intend to do then?"

But that was all that the girl heard. Leaning closer to get a better look at Ryo, she had lost her grip on the branch of the tree and slid down a few notches.

Mentally cursing herself, Rei hoped she hadn't made too much noise and tried to get back to the position she was in before.

She didn't know who the other boy was, and frankly she did not care, but she had to get another glance at Ryo. He had defeated her in the tournament. She who had risen up as the latest of child prodigies in duelling and who had not lost before. He had taken it away from her. He'd seen the faults in the maiden deck she used and worked them against her, while she had no way to stop him. But then he hadn't gloated. He'd shook her hand and treated her with respect, telling her that her strategies were well thought out.

From then, Rei knew that Ryo was a perfect man. And that no one else was worth giving attention to other than him.

While she'd been considering this, the small girl had pulled herself up to the branch she was on before. But she couldn't see them now. They must both have moved to the other side of the room where the window didn't reach.

Gingerly, she put one of her feet onto the balcony and balanced herself, before softly removing her weight from the tree and standing there. She silently moved closer to the window, edging around to see if Ryo was still there.

Though she couldn't see them, their voices came back into her range of hearing once more.

"You really shouldn't, what if…" Her heart pounded at the sound of Ryo's voice, but it was soon cut off by the other boy's words.

"What if nothing. It's not as if anyone you know is even near this hotel, and you deserve some fun." The other boy's voice felt sort of muffled.

There was silence for a few moments, as if Ryo was thinking about what was said. After it had felt like she'd held her breath for half a minute, he spoke.

"Once. And you have three minutes."

Whatever these three minutes contained Rei did not hear, which annoyed her no end as she tried to move to a spot where she could see them.

She had to duck once more as someone walked past. From the flash of blue hair, she determined that it was the boy she came here for, and for a moment she saw him wipe his mouth with a smirk against his lips.

His voice sounded again, this time containing a hint of an emotion that she had not heard from him before, satisfaction perhaps, "The bar will be closing in about ten minutes. If we wanted anything to eat or drink, it'd be best to get it now."

After another gap, there was the sound of a door clicking shut and it was safe for Rei to breathe. She slumped down against the wall but found the pang of annoyance inside of her. She didn't know who this other boy was and what he was doing near Ryo. Perhaps she could find out while they were gone.

Gathering her nerves, she pulled the window wider open and edged herself through. She landed quietly enough and stood up to look at the desk Ryo had been working at before he'd moved. She stepped forward to be closer to the writing he's made with his own hand –

"You make a habit of sneaking into people's rooms?"

She stopped moving. The other boy hadn't left with Ryo. Damn.

"Are you one of the girls from outside the door? Most of the others are gone now," he spoke with a drawl, as if it didn't make a difference to him and he was hardly threatened by Rei being there.

She turned to face him, gathering up her strength to say, "Hardly. I am Ryo's opponent from the final round, and I came here to see him."

He raised an eyebrow at her referring to Ryo by his name instead of Kaiser. As he sat propped up against the bed, he looked her up and down, though it was hardly much effort, considering how short she was.

"Why did you want to see him?" the boy asked carefully, his expression unreadable.

"Because…" she said, pausing for a moment before considering that if the boy was Ryo's friend he should know of her feelings, "…Because I have fallen for Ryo, and I want to be with him."

The boy looked serious for a moment, but did not laugh or act in shock as she expected. It was hard to tell what his impression was.

"You poor thing," he uttered, in what he must have thought was a voice she wouldn't hear, before sighing and saying, "You'll have a hard job being in love with Ryo."

"What makes you say that?" she asked defensively.

"He, well… he," he scratched his head, looking for the words, "He's not really the type who likes girls."

She scowled at this unusual boy and his unusual statement. That could not be true.

When she didn't say anything, he carried on, "And you see, since you're a girl, he probably wouldn't like you. So perhaps it would hurt you less if you stopped liking him before you get hurt."

She started to make a response, but the sound of footsteps could be heard from close to the door. With another scowl at the boy, she turned and moved out of the window again, much quicker than she had come in.

She was starting to climb down the tree, too angry to notice the pain as the branches brushed past her, as the sound of Ryo could be heard back in the room. His voice stopped her, and even with the risk of getting caught, she had to hear him.

"You're sure you weren't talking to anyone Fubuki?" he said.

"No, must have been the TV," came the voice of the boy who was called Fubuki, "But I'd been wondering, who did you say the girl was you competed against today?"

"Her name was Rei, she'll probably go far with duelling," answered Ryo, not thinking anything of it.

She scaled down the rest of the tree, half of her feeling content with the compliment and the other half of her annoyed with Fubuki's accusation. She tried to fathom his claim, piecing it together with the three minutes of silence from when she'd listened to them. If Ryo did not like girls, was Fubuki the boy who Ryo liked? When Ryo had wiped his lips, had it been because Fubuki had kissed him?

She shook her head. They couldn't be in love, because she loved Ryo. But he didn't like girls… And Fubuki would have that advantage over her.

Unless she stopped being a girl.

As she started the walk back home, she pulled her long hair back with her hands, making a motion as if tying it back. Yes, she could look like a boy. A boy who perhaps Ryo would love.

Rei Saotome had a new goal to strive for.


	13. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki reflects on what is most precious to him and wonders if Ryo feels the same.

"So what's the most precious thing to you in the world? Not like a girl or a concept or anything, just an object. What can't you live without?"

Fubuki wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation, so he didn't hear who asked, but before it really mattered, another boy called out to the first one in response.

"You don't even have to question that, everyone knows that Fubuki loves his surfboard more than anything. Or was it the ukulele?"

The two boys started to argue with each other about which they thought Fubuki cared for more, and a few others joined in.

He'd left while they were still debating this subject of apparent importance. Not _rudely_ left, of course, he just made a casual comment about going surfing that fuelled those who were arguing that the surfboard was his most prized possession.

As he walked, he smiled to himself. Regardless of what anyone thought, he knew what his most precious object in the world.

He approached it as the sun set, because it just looks better that way. There was someone there already, but he would have been surprised if there hadn't been.

The two of them stood and watched the rays of light abandon them for the ocean, just as they had done everyday. This object united them and it was important to them both.

Regardless of what happened through the day, when it ended Fubuki and Ryo would come to the lighthouse.

"How much does it mean to you?" Fubuki asked, reflecting on the conversation from earlier.

"Coming here with you?" said Ryo, looking over at him.

"No, the lighthouse. As an object." He knew it was an odd question, but Ryo should be more than use to those from him by now.

Considering it, Ryo looked up at the lighthouse, before saying, "It guides ships to the dock, and that is important to the ships. But that's probably not what you mean. What it means to me is… us. It connects us, and I'm glad that if anything could do that, it would be something that acts as a guide."

This was a satisfactory answer for Fubuki.

So, Ryo thought that it represented their relationship? That if one wandered, then the other would guide them back. He thought he could stand by that for years to come, guiding Ryo if he strayed. And in turn know that if anything happened to him, Ryo would search for him – to guide him back to their lighthouse.


	14. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Fubuki convinced Ryo to do the work he realised that Chronos knew them better than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is set in the manga version.

"This is not your homework."

"How can you tell, sir?"

Fubuki was slouched on his seat, in a casual manner that only a top student could do in front of a teacher and get away with.

"Because it's right," Chronos told him, frowning deeply. Any frown Chronos pulled off was quite impressive.

It was greeted by another frown from Fubuki. They both knew that he was as much an elite student as Ryo and therefore could get answers correct.

"It's not right for you, that is," Chronos corrected himself, "This is a typed report, not a hand-written one, and there are no doodles in the margin. Even when you do print something off a computer, you always draw on it."

"Perhaps I just felt like making it look more formal, since it's important," drawled Fubuki.

"But all the answers go into far more harsh detail than you do," argued Chronos, not buying it.

"See previous answer," said Fubuki, who was enjoying this.

"You want to know what I think?" Chronos said, and he'd tell him regardless, "I think that you didn't do this essay at all. Ryo Marufuji did this essay."

"You could ask him," teased Fubuki playfully.

The Italian teacher drew himself up to his full height and turned from Fubuki, walking to a separate desk where Ryo was working.

"Marufuji?"

An essay was pushed towards him, no verbal response. He didn't look up from his studying.

An inward sigh from Chronos. The one thing these two did have in common was that neither of them seemed to respect him.

He picked up the essay regardless and scanned through it. Then he scanned through "Fubuki's" essay. Not that he needed to, he knew as soon as he looked that the essays were different. Both perfectly worded, both showing correct responses, both written in the style he knew Ryo wrote essays, but not the same essay by a long shot when it came down to it.

He had to concede that they were not written by the same person. Ryo was good, but there was no way he could have written two different essays of that length in a day. But he knew them both as people. He knew how different they were right down to the style they wrote essays.

As he walked down to the desk at the front of the room, he didn't look at Fubuki, though he felt the stare of triumph on his back.

There was a thoughtful glance from Fubuki towards the working Ryo. He'd have to have serious words with him about drawing in the margins.  
  


* * *

  
Just like he'd had serious words with him the day before.

He knew he was in the wrong to blow the essay off like that, but Chronos gave them the same essays every week, and it wasn't every week that he got a date with the hottest girl in school. Well, only _just_ not every week. He was working on it.

Ryo would do it for him, even if he didn't approve.

But Ryo didn't do it for him.

"You need to start putting studies before your personal life," he said, flatly.

"But Ryo, it's Seika! Do you know how picky she is?" insisted Fubuki.

"Even she would…" he paused as he thought about this, "Even she _should_ be doing essays before going out."

"It's only once…"

"But it'll turn into five times, I know how you work."

Fubuki rolled onto his back and sighed thoughtfully. He was going to be difficult, wasn't he?

"I could make it worth your time." He saw his mouth move before the words past through his head.

"You can't bribe me Fubuki, I don't need money," commented Ryo, looking a little disgusted.

"Who said anything about money?" Fubuki asked, rolling onto his stomach to look at Ryo, his mind had caught up with his mouth now, "I could be offering you anything."

"Whatever it is, I can't imagine I'd be interested."

The mistake was that he continued to look at the computer as he spoke, so he didn't see Fubuki coming up behind him. He did however feel it when a hand was placed on each of his shoulders. His eyes widened, he made to start.

"Fubuki, I-"

The chair was turned to the direction of Fubuki, who now leaned over Ryo, taking hold of the side of his face to roughly kiss him.

He knew Ryo enough to know that not being pushed away on contact was a good sign. He was allowing it for now, a visual demonstration as to why doing the work would be worth it.

Not much time then. Fubuki knew he didn't need much time. His nimble hands worked quickly, striping Ryo of his shirt, while Ryo just watched - neither assisting nor pushing him away.

They didn't stay on the chair long. The floor wasn't perhaps the most comfortable of seating arrangements but Fubuki knew that Ryo preferred it.

And they didn't get as far as that, because Fubuki wanted to be somewhat fresh for his date, but afterwards he wished that they had done. He thought this for a lot longer afterwards than he should have done.

It was almost an attack. It reached the point when Ryo couldn't remain stoic in light of the activities and soon the forces were equal from each side. He ripped Fubuki's shirt a bit as they worked, but Fubuki knew he had other shirts and didn't particularly care.

There were nails from Ryo though. They drove into Fubuki's skin, pulling down to leave red marks. Even when it came to making out, they had to be different. But that didn't stop them. Each determined not to let the other king defeat them.

It was probably an hour before they were finished. He wasn't even bothered that he was late for his date. He rose quietly to his feet, panting. When he turned around, Ryo was already standing, looking across at him as his equal.

"You'd better go," he said, and there was no answer as to whether or not he'd do the essay. Fubuki left, almost certain he would do the work, but worried enough for his mind to keep trailing back to it during the date.  
  


* * *

  
He was as surprised as Chronos was when the essay turned up the next morning. Ryo must have worked through the night. After the lesson he walked over to him, making sure Chronos was gone before he did.

"You could have at least _tried_ to make the work look different from your own," he said, frowning at him.

For once it was Ryo's turn to smirk at him.

"You're going to have to pay extra if you want me to descend to the opposite end of perfection."


	15. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo goes through his daily routine, reflecting on the things he could do to stray from this routine – and why he doesn’t do them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can tell this was written before Netflix was a thing. So I guess that makes this a period-piece now.

There were a lot of things Ryo was tempted to do on his walk home.

The first of these things being to not go on the walk at all. He was content with work. He was the sort of person who could start work early and not finish until the job was done, then look for more work after that. And he knew that if he worked over night, he could probably have his brother's duelling schedule fixed for the next year.

Though he had to admit that he was kept late as it was, anyway. It was already dark by the time he'd started the walk to the apartment he was staying in.

Inside - that was another place he wanted to be right now, as the rain poured down around his soaking leather jacket. Not in that apartment either. He'd saved up enough money to be able to live in a more luxurious home quite comfortably by now, so buying a house was tempting, too.

He snapped back from his thoughts long enough to notice the people walking around. Not too many out at this hour, but there were some. In his younger days, he was naïve enough to try to respect everyone he met, but through his time in underground duelling, he'd learnt the truth about people. And these people weren't from the most respectable end of market. They weren't criminals either, but they were just… rough. Each trying to get to their own place. It would be impossible to talk to any of them.

Once more the pang of temptation swept across him. How easy it would be to duck into one of the bus shelters and call Asuka or Edo or one of his other friends. Sure, it'd mean that he was late, but at least he'd have an engaging conversation.

He couldn't do that though, he'd made a promise.

At least he was almost at destination one on the stops to fulfilling that promise. He looked up distastefully at the neon sign that was always missing two and a half letters. It was a DVD rental store - not even a good one. But it was the only one that was open by the time he'd finished work. Some clever store manager had figured out that bums who didn't finished work until 10:00pm wanted to watch movies, too.

Not that he'd be here by choice. If it were up to him, he'd be in the 24 hour library pouring over books of knowledge for the sake of it, not grabbing whatever stupid film was on the penned list in his pocket.

Though he had to admit that the store always had what he was looking for, no matter how obscure. Which was helpful, because other than the scribble on the paper, Ryo knew nothing about these films. They were never top ten titles, but he would have been insulted if they had been. They were always old films with dodgy animation that could be laughed at openly or films relating to some out-there culture that Ryo knew nothing about. The latter didn't bother him so much, even if he'd rather something factual than fictional.

Part of him wanted to forget these stupid, low-budget movies and bring back a documentary about the evolution of technology.

He'd never do that, though. He was not one to fall for temptation.

So he paid for the movie and retreated from the shop, putting the box under his jacket to protect it from the rain. The journey home was filled with more thoughts upon where he'd rather be and what he'd rather be doing. All of them so easy to achieve with a simple change of direction.

Yet he made it to the door, resisting the stronger temptation not to pull one of the residents up about the dog that barked madly all through the night.

The routine was not broken. He returned to his own apartment room in good time to start making a late supper and turn the heating on. He'd just put the DVD into the player when the door clicked open for a second time.

Fubuki was standing in the doorframe, worn out and smiling. He was always smiling. Even after a rough day of pushing his physical form to the max on the set, even after being hounded by fans and slandered by the media, he was always smiling.

And right then, Ryo knew why he resisted all the little temptations. Because Fubuki was depending on him to be the one who'd let him have life the way he wanted it, instead of how the image of a celebrity should be. To just live in a flat like a pair of kids, instead of a mansion like the kings they were, to eat budget salad, instead of dining in a fancy restaurant, to watch the rubbish movies with monsters that have strings attached, instead of the latest blockbuster that his celebrity friends were staring in… to be Fubuki Tenjoin. And if Ryo couldn't help him to be that for a few hours, then he might lose the smile he loved so much.

As the two of them sat down to watch the cringe-worthy movie together, Fubuki turned to Ryo and told him, "I've tried to get one that'll match your interests more this time. It might not be about technological revolutions, but it does have robots in it. And dragons. Which is almost as good as robot dragons, right?"


	16. Ryo/Fubuki (feat. Rabb)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki starts to let the opinions of others affect him, causing him to make mistakes and end up staying in the American Academia longer than he intended to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one set in the manga version.

Fubuki was not aggravated lightly. And he didn't think something his closest friend could do would annoy him so much. And really, it wasn't something that Ryo did at all – it was something he decided himself for the good of both of them.

It usually wouldn't have irked him, but it seriously felt as if he'd lost respect. News got around fast that the Kaiser had won a tournament that Fubuki had not even entered. People were not viewing them as equals anymore; they viewed Ryo as being the stronger of the two.

Some people were even saying Fubuki couldn't duel. No one had seen him duelling, when it came down to it.

He gritted his teeth to this. How could he walk among them knowing they thought that of him?

This had to be remedied, even if only for his personal satisfaction. So he sought out the best duelist that the American academia had to offer: David Rabb.

The duel wasn't widely known. Hopefully it wasn't known by anyone other than Fubuki and Rabb. But Fubuki totally defeated Rabb. It felt… good. Seeing a face that had smirked at him countless times now on the floor before him. As he stared down at Rabb he got more of the wanted satisfaction than he should have done.

Though really that should have been it. As he returned to the room he was staying in, the knowledge that he truly was a king should have put to rest any of the ill feeling that had entered him.

It didn't, though.

As he saw Ryo in the room already, it surfaced again. He glared across at the boy who was packing. Indifferent to any problems Fubuki had with him.

"We're going tomorrow," Ryo said, without looking up, "We're going to return to Duel Academia with Reggie and Rabb."

The taste of bile built up in the back of Fubuki's mouth. Going back with Rabb was probably not the best plan after just defeating him. He tasted a sentence in his head before speaking it out loud.

"I'm not going back."

Ryo's head moved up from the packing and looked at him with concern.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because…" he should have thought of an excuse before saying so, but the nearest available one presented itself too easily, "There's more girls here who I haven't been with."

It sounded harsher than he'd normally say something of that kind and Ryo picked up on it straight away. He walked over to Fubuki.

"And what's the real reason?"

Fubuki couldn't look up at Ryo at this. There was no way he could put it into words without sounding like he was jealous of Ryo. What person could hate their closest friend for winning a tournament? How could he blame Ryo for doing what he chose not to do himself? How could he explain the duel against Rabb?

He couldn't.

So he didn't bother. He lifted his head up to Ryo, not so much looking at the other before going to kiss his lips, forcing all the anger out into something so gentle.

As he pulled away neither boy said a word. But they didn't need to. For Ryo that explained why Fubuki would not be coming back with him. It worked as an excuse for Fubuki, though Fubuki felt there might be truth to that part of it, too.

He walked past Ryo to the door, stopping just before he left to say, "I will see you off tomorrow."

Then he was gone.

He stuck to his word though, and the next day he was there to see the students leave for Duel Academy. He stood a distance away from the rest of the crowd, but within clear view of the others who were boarding. As Ryo saw him, there was a small wave and it was returned, but Fubuki's attention was drawn to Rabb, who approached Ryo from behind to put a hand on his shoulder. The American duelist grinned to Fubuki. And Fubuki felt a knot in his throat.

What had he lost?


	17. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mother tends to worry about the people her son brings home. She couldn’t help worrying when he introduced her to Ryo.

When he started to become a teenager, Fubuki brought many friends home with him; this was not unusual. He seemed to go through friends at an incredible rate to the extent that his mother didn't bother learning their names anymore – she'd probably never see them again.

It was… worrying for a parent. She'd hoped that sending him to the academia would cure the problem. That he would find a more permanent friend to stick with. She had to admit that it seemed to have worked, though Ryo Marufuji had not been what she was expecting.

She'd gotten use to the scruffy boys Fubuki brought back. They were polite when he introduced them to her, but as much as she turned a blind eye, Mrs. Tenjoin could not help but notice them ogling at her. She was a businesswoman; she was always smartly dressed and very attractive to others. She knew this, but it was sort of embarrassing for teenage boys to be looking at her in that way, even if they did try to hide it. Still, at least they kept Fubuki happy.

She knew as soon as Fubuki went through the ritual of formally introducing the new friend to her that this one was different. He did not eye her up at all. He looked genuinely respectful. And his face was almost grave. This puzzled her most of all. The other kids that Fubuki brought home all had grins plastered across their faces, filled with wonder that _Fubuki Tenjoin_ considered them as a friend. But this child didn't smile. He didn't look upset either though, merely blank.

And Mrs. Tenjoin felt sorry for him. Much more than she did these whiny children who lived good lives, but acted depressed all the time. A blank child was so much worse than that. A child brought to know respect, but not much else. She saw it in his eyes. It made her wonder if he'd ever smiled at all.

The meeting was soon over, though. As soon as Fubuki had got the approval of his mother towards his friend, he went to play elsewhere. To Fubuki, his beloved mother was the authority figure of the household. If she approved of something, his father would agree also, so his opinion wasn't as important.

His mother tried to return to work, wanting to get the paperwork done before her husband came home, but her mind trailed back to Fubuki's unsmiling new friend. It just seemed so unlikely that he would hang around with Fubuki, as Fubuki usually went for friends who were easy to make jokes with and follow him in whatever game he wanted to play. This boy didn't look like he would at all.

So she found herself walking towards the room Fubuki called his own before she consciously knew she was doing it. She looked through the door to see both of the boys standing in front of the mirror.

Fubuki was smearing lines of paint down the blank boy's face.

"We're too old for this, I'm sure," reasoned Ryo, though he didn't push Fubuki away.

"Who are you kidding? People who are in their twenties still paint their faces," Fubuki insisted.

"What sort of people?" It was a suspicious question and contained a stronger hint of a personality than she had heard before.

"You know… clowns, art students, crazy people," concluded Fubuki.

"Oh yes, because I really want to be associated with those groups," said Ryo, but… there it was. A smile! The blank child was actually smiling.

It was an alien expression on his face. One that was not use to being there and still looked as if it was adjusting. It was there though. And it looked as if he was glad that it was.

She smiled.

She had been wrong. Perhaps Fubuki had found a friend who would last after all, a friend who needed him. Because, as she watched her son put more paint onto Ryo's face, she could tell that he wanted Ryo to continue to smile for him.


	18. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the little events that they didn’t talk about acted as proof, even when it was over.

When Fubuki didn't turn up for class, Ryo started photocopying his notes for him and that was the start of it.

When Ryo didn't turn up for class, and there was only one class that he didn't, Fubuki insisted the class couldn't be started until he was there. No one objected much to this. Except for Chronos.

When Fubuki started to go away more and more to stand in those circles and mutter words that most people didn't know, Ryo pretended he had no idea about it at all. And because Ryo didn't have close companions besides Fubuki, this had thus far been the hardest task of all.

When Fubuki had disappeared, Ryo didn't wait around for someone to deal with it, it was Ryo's problem and Ryo's job to deal with it. Of course, there was no way he was still in that unused dorm, so after the fifth night, Ryo stopped checking it.

When Fubuki's sister enrolled in the academia, there was no doubt in Ryo's mind that he would take on the role as her temporary big brother until Fubuki returned. There was no doubt between either of them that Fubuki would return.

When Fubuki did return, Ryo felt guilty that he looked more surprised than he should have done. So he made up for this by spending more hours in the hospital guarding the boy's body than he should have done.

When Ryo wanted to talk with Asuka about his role as her temporary brother coming to an end once Fubuki woke up, Fubuki made sure he was surfing that day. Then didn't talk to either of them about it out of respect.

When Fubuki went out surfing everyday after that for the rest of the term, Ryo made sure to be standing on the beach, just after class, watching.

When Ryo duelled Juudai on the last day of the year, their friends were neutral about whom to root for, but Fubuki felt he might have been the only one leaning more towards wanting Ryo to win than Juudai.

When Fubuki chose to redo two years of his education because of the absence, Ryo didn't look down on him for it.

When Ryo left, Fubuki made sure he'd put his phone number in the pockets of _all_ of Ryo's trousers.

When Ryo found himself drowned and alone in the underground duel, he purposely pushed Fubuki out of his mind, because he just couldn't think of him as having abandoned him.

When Fubuki and the others saw the new Ryo on TV for the first time, Fubuki did not pass comment, even when the others whispered.

When Ryo returned to the island, Fubuki chose not to challenge him at the lighthouse, lest ruin the memory of that place.

When Fubuki duelled Ryo, he didn't even hesitate to use Darkness's deck against him. If those cards had so much as a chance of defeating the Cyberdark deck, then he would pursue it.

When Ryo won Fubuki… accepted. He knew it was the end of it all, but he didn't want to insult Ryo by pretending the change had not been a choice made by Ryo himself.

When both of them struggled through the new events, through the Dark World, through Darkness and through Shou's coming of age, they didn't interact at all. Because they wanted to respect that it had been the end.

But when Shou graduated, Fubuki made sure there were loads of photos taken, because he knew Ryo would have wanted to see them.

And when Fubuki phoned him up years later, after the end had gone, to tell him the photos had been developed, Ryo didn't refuse to meet him. Because all of the silent events had acted as proof of their friendship and they knew the friendship wouldn't end.


	19. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki talks to Ryo about the reason why he tries so hard to set Asuka up with a guy, even if it isn’t a selfless cause.

There was no such thing as a selfless motive. At least not the way Fubuki saw it. Even a motive to save someone's life was because you didn't want them to die - you couldn't allow them to leave _you._ And thus the motive was for you, and therefore selfish. It was just selfish for the right reasons.

He was reflecting upon his role as the academia's self-professed love counsellor. He doubted this was selfless, either. He wasn't getting anything out of helping these people with their romance, but he did enjoy it.

However, there was one time he helped someone that he knew without a doubt was for a selfish reason.

He'd seen Manjoume on the beach. He'd seen the way he'd looked with disbelief when those two girls who followed Fubuki's sister around had fainted. He knew what Manjoume wanted. Manjoume wanted help with girls.

But not just any girl. There was only one girl good enough for Manjoume. And Fubuki was shocked to learn who it was.

His own sweet little sister, Asuka.

As Manjoume had explained to him how he wanted Asuka, and that there were too many others in the way, Fubuki reflected upon his own selfish motives.

Fubuki had a school life and a home life - and like most people, he kept those separate. When he was at home, he had his serious, caring little sister and when he was at school he had his serious, caring best friend. Both of whom needed his help to get them out or their shells. And both of whom had been quite separate. Or they had been before he'd went missing.

Time's changed, Fubuki respected that. His little sister was getting older everyday and she had enrolled in the academia in order to find him. So it was only natural that she would meet Ryo, who had the same goal as her to find Fubuki. And it was only natural that the two of them would get close due to their similar natures.

He shouldn't have been jealous of them, he _wasn't_ jealous of them. He wanted her to be happy without Ryo. No. That was wrong. He just wanted her to be happy. Whether or not that happiness came from being with Ryo was not his business.

But here was another boy who wanted to be with Asuka, too. A boy who could look after her and make her happy, but at the same time free up his best friend to be his best friend again.

Of course he would help him.

But he didn't take into account that his sister had a strong will of her own, and if she didn't want a guy, she wasn't going to have him.

So Manjoume had crashed and burn. But luckily for Fubuki, the fate of the world had been endangered soon after, so there wasn't much time to reflect upon what was wrong with the romance method in the face of approaching death. And by the time Juudai had saved the world, they all were distracted and had quite put aside Manjoume's earlier attempts to court Asuka. It wasn't difficult for Fubuki to head off naturally as if nothing had happened.

He sighed to himself. The day had felt so long, and now dawn was finally approaching. He found himself walking towards the lighthouse. It was sort of an automatic response. Before he'd gone missing, Fubuki and Ryo had spent every night here. Though after he went missing, it was Ryo and Asuka who had spent every night here.

He couldn't feel as though he was intruding though, because even in light of his absence, he felt he had as much right to be there as Ryo or Asuka did.

But he was surprised that when he arrived at the lighthouse, it was just Ryo, staring out to sea.

"Where's Asuka?" Fubuki asked curiously, as he approached.

"She probably needs a rest after everything that's happened today," answered Ryo, turning to face him with an eyebrow raised that suggested that he disproved of Fubuki's earlier actions. Someone hadn't forgotten.

"Don't go judging me like that," started Fubuki, raising his arms to the air, "It was for her own good. It was for…" He had to admit that he couldn't justify what he did. He mostly went through life and people wouldn't bother asking him to explain himself, because they thought Fubuki did what he did without reason, but Ryo wasn't like that. Ryo knew that the actions had reasons, and he expected answers for them.

"You put her in an awkward situation and it was absurdly selfish of you," replied Ryo, calmly.

"Selfish? But I was helping Manjoume. How could that be selfish?" His voice was too fast, that gave it all away.

Ryo was watching Fubuki with eyes that ran through his soul, as he said, "Asuka is capable of making her own choices. She will pursue romance when she wants, if she chooses to. Why do you feel the need to try to force her to settle down with someone?"

That was a harsh accusation, wasn't it? Fubuki sighed. Though it was shrewd, he knew Ryo wouldn't have said it unless he was genuinely concerned. He'd have to give him some answer or else he'd live forever with the guilt that he couldn't talk honestly to his closest friend.

"Perhaps it was for a selfish reason…" Fubuki started, looking down at the blue-grey foam of the water below.

"And what reason would that be?" continued Ryo.

Fubuki smiled.

"Should have known you wouldn't be happy without the elaboration," he said, "I'll admit I was a little jealous."

"Jealous?"

This made Fubuki do a double take.

Staring at Ryo, he said, "You can't not know what I mean. About you and her?"

"What about her and I?" asked Ryo, and his face was the calm of truth, not the calm of someone trying to hide something.

"You're not… together?" Fubuki asked, looking across at him.

Ryo shook his head, "I could never do that. It would be too disrespectful to both of you. While you were away, she needed a brother, so I wanted to be to her the temporary brother she needed, because you were not there. And I wanted to look after her in a way that a brother should…" he paused at this point, enough to make Fubuki consider the actions he'd taken earlier involving Manjoume were not how a brother should act, before continuing, "Her and I were not romantically involved. And even if she'd wanted to be, I doubt I'd be able to now."

There was silence for a few moments before Fubuki retorted, "You have your own brother, too, you know." Though they both knew this was an empty response.

"You were worried about your best friend and your sister dating?" asked Ryo, not getting the subject off-track.

"It's not so much that," Fubuki assured, smirking to himself once more, "You two seem so perfect for each other, so calm, so confident. You'd both make the ideal couple. But… I don't think I could live with her taking you away from me." He laughed, "To think that I got there first, but my little sister still left with the prize."

That was a mistake and Fubuki knew it. He was certain that Ryo would not stand for being referred to as a prize. To his mild surprise though, Ryo walked over to him, lifting his head up to break Fubuki's gaze at the water.

"You're an idiot most of the time," Ryo said, moving Fubuki's face forward to kiss softly at Fubuki's lips.

And so the two brotherly influences in Asuka's life decided for one night, that they could leave her to be the independent lady that she wanted to be without over-protectively guarding her or trying to set her up with a boy, while they engaged in the selfish desires of their own.


	20. Ryo/Fubuki (feat. former Ryo/Asuka)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two men fail at understanding their emotions so much that it’s fortunate for them Asuka and Rei exist. Sometimes you don’t have to be connected to the situation to help.

Everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

That statement applied very much to Fubuki as he ran through the crowds of bumbling tourists.

He shouldn't even _be_ in an airport in the first place. He'd had months to prevent it coming to this. In retrospect, he'd had years, even, but he didn't want to think that far back.

Why had he not waited a day longer to let Fubuki see the signs?

He turned a corner and passed various members of staff, thankful that his Hawaiian clothes made him look so much like he'd just returned from another country that it didn't cause question.

It was as much Asuka's fault as it was his, though she wasn't to know that. It wasn't as if Ryo had even talked to her about it for her to know at all. And when Fubuki had phoned her that morning, it turned out she was at work. Other countries have different time zones, apparently.

The one thing he could count on was that the planes were always running late. He'd used them often enough to know that. So he still had some time to reach the terminal before it was due to take off.

A quick scan around the waiting room showed that Ryo had boarded. A further scan showed that – as Murphy's Law would have it – the flight chose this one chance to run on time.

The doors were shut and it was moving. There would be no dramatic moment of shouting down the terminal to see if he would come back. Even banging on the window would be pointless. He was gone.

Fubuki made do with standing by the window, anyway. If the most he could do was watch the plane take off, then he was going to do that.

Behind him, was the sound of slower footsteps, and then Rei was standing besides him.

What an odd pair the two of them must have looked.

He had to admit that they weren't close. He'd known her from the academia, she was there and had a car, he didn't have a car – the math was simple. So she'd given him a lift to the airport and he'd told her the details on the way. She'd taken it much better than he'd expected, but then, she hadn't pursued Ryo for years now, so she had no reason to hold his feelings against him.

He'd left her at the car park, but it made sense that she'd wanted to see the end of it.

After looking at the moving plane for a few moments she said, "There's always his phone, you know."

"You can't have those on when you're on a plane…" he muttered, caught up in his own grief to the extent that he considered everything he might try would fail.

"Then go home," she said, looking at him sternly, giving him a second's notice of how much she'd grown up, "Don't try to talk to him and live your life knowing that you _probably_ couldn't have got in touch with him."

His eyes showed that he was uncertain, but he understood what she meant.

"Text him and I won't charge you the gas money," she said, trying to sound cheerful.  
  


* * *

  
The two of them weren't to know for sure, but as the plane was taking off, Ryo did have his phone on. Ryo knew that he shouldn't, but he also knew that he'd have a bit of signal until the plane got higher up.

Ryo probably should have sent the message to her while he was waiting for the flight anyway, but he found himself composing and recomposing the message so much that, before he knew it, he was on the plane.

Right now the white screen of the phone displayed the following:

_I know that you wouldn't want to see me after so many years._

_You've been let down by me so many times before._

_And at one point I wanted to pretend you never existed._

_You probably wanted to pretend I didn't, either._

_Though you have a new life now, I want to try to be part of it._

_Without messing it all up for you._

_Because I still love you, Asuka._

It was… pathetic. He knew. But all the times he'd written it down, it just came down to that message. And now he was on the plane to America, going to see her regardless, so he might as well give her a notice.

He hit the send button – he'd muted the phone earlier as to avoid getting into trouble for using it.

Within a few seconds, the screen flashed to show that he'd received a message. It couldn't be possible for her to reply that quickly.

Looking at the phone he saw the name 'Fubuki' appear. That made more sense. Fubuki hadn't spoken to him for months and would probably choose the time he was going away to suddenly act nice. Might as well see what he wanted.

The message was opened and Ryo's hand started to sweat as the message he'd just sent appeared in front of him, save for one word.

_I know that you wouldn't want to see me after so many years._

_You've been let down by me so many times before._

_And at one point I wanted to pretend you never existed._

_You probably wanted to pretend I didn't, either._

_Though you have a new life now, I want to try to be part of it._

_Without messing it all up for you._

_Because I still love you, Ryo._

How could he? Why would he choose now, after Ryo had worked so hard to admit to himself that Fubuki didn't love him and that Asuka would be the most sensible option? Did he want him to suffer that much?

There was another flash from the phone, and after spending a few more seconds taking in Fubuki's message, he scrolled off it, seeing that Asuka had replied to him now.

His hand was shaking now. He'd made his choice but…

As his thumb hit the keypad, the message opened and displayed itself on screen.

_Go to Fubuki, Ryo._

_You two are going to hurt forever without each other. And I've found my peace in this new life. You know he's not perfect but then neither are you._

His eyes widened. There was no way she could have known about Fubuki's message, he wasn't that lucky.

But somehow she had. And now he had the option to make things right in his life without worrying about how much he was hurting her…

_I don't know if I love you as much as I do her._

_But if you're willing to live with that thought until I've decided,_

_then I will come back._

_You have one more chance, Fubuki._

_Don't let either of us destroy it._

He didn't hesitate as he sent that one, he didn't even have to spend more than a few seconds thinking about what to write. And then he sat back to take the relaxing trip there just to come back. For once, the world didn't seem to be against him.  
  


* * *

  
On the ground Fubuki received his response.

"No way… But why would he give me a chance if he was already on his way over?" he chocked out.

Rei put her own phone away, considering how irrational these supposedly serious boys could be sometimes. If only they'd had the sense to talk things through like she had done with Asuka.


	21. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Fubuki’s prompting, Ryo is made to endure his first prom and forms his judgement on it.

The crowd made that murmuring jumble noise, laced with the occasional high-pitched shriek or hearty laugh that all large groups of people at an event where they're determined to enjoy themselves made. People flitted from one batch of social butterflies to the next; the girls layered with make up and the boys fidgeting in suits that made them look like penguins.

It was suppose to be an enjoyable night. And presumably if that was your scene, it would be. But it wasn't particularly _his_ scene.

Sighing and trying to keep his focus on the event for a few more minutes, Ryo stopped himself from wondering why he had come here. He knew why he'd come - because of Fubuki.

Fubuki had said that being the two kings of the academia meant that they had to show face at these events. And when Ryo had said that having the title of king didn't imply they were actual royalty among students, Fubuki had just retorted that Ryo didn't want to come because he was boring.

That made Ryo come.

He stood watching the shallow masses of the student body, taking in all the details. He was almost sure that out of the male population of the academia, Fubuki and himself were the only two who had bothered to get suits that actually fit.

On this observation, Fubuki detached himself from the group he was currently part of and made his way over to Ryo, grinning from one side of his face to the other.

"Well, the odds are in," he announced.

"Odds?" Ryo raised an eyebrow, unaware that there had been any betting occurring at the academia prom.

With a knowing smile, Fubuki let him in on the situation, "Well, there aren't _official_ odds as such, but you just need to listen to the talk and watch the eyes to know where the votes lie. It's going to be me who becomes prom king this year. And to think Ayanokouji thought that he had a chance!"

Ryo shook his head and let his breath out. Of course, Fubuki would be concerned about popularity contests.

Still lost in his train of thinking, Fubuki looked over at Ryo and asked, "Have you considered how you'll do?"

"In… in this?" Ryo shook his head, "Not at all. It's not really my area, so I doubt someone like myself would be up for the vote."

"Everyone's up for the vote, Ryo," Fubuki informed, looking amused by his friend's lack of knowledge on this subject, "It all depends on how good looking girls think you are. And you've got one of those faces that girls like. Just a pity you won't stand a chance against me, but don't let it ruin your first prom."

There was a small, indifferent nod from Ryo. He didn't have the heart to tell Fubuki that his first prom had been ruined the moment they'd started playing the soppy love songs from dated weepy movies that everyone else seemed to remember, but Ryo hadn't bothered watching.

He felt he should put a bit more effort into it, though. Or at least pretend to. So he allowed Fubuki to walk him from one group to another, vaguely listening to the conversations between them, but not paying too much attention to the content of them. They were the sorts of conversations where you could just make a small gesture of agreement to and the other person would continue to rant about nothing.

It seemed to last an awful lot longer than it should have done. But the dimming of the lights thankfully silenced the hall, as announcements were made as to who had achieved what on the social ladder.

Chronos didn't look anymore interested in this than Ryo did, but Ryo suspected he would probably have been insulted if any of the other teachers had been given the privilege of announcing the awards. But at least one thing that he and Chronos could probably agree on was that awards created to show who's been talking to other people the most all year weren't awards at all.

Eventually they got to the part at the end where the "King" and "Queen" were announced. Even with his limited knowledge of the teenage social order, Ryo knew that this was important to the others, and probably the highlight of the night for Fubuki. Any remaining whispering from the crowd ceased at this point.

"Yes, well," Chronos frowned, taking the card out of a tacky looking glittered envelope, "It would appear that our prom king of tonight is…" pause for dramatic effect, Ryo couldn't stop himself rolling his eyes, "…Ryo Marufuji. Hmph. Wouldn't expect any less from one of my Obelisk students."

The crowded around Ryo parted a little and there were many gasps from the girls among them. He looked at them; face a picture of confusion. After a moment to take it in, he turned to seek out Fubuki, hoping that the outcome hadn't upset him too much.

Though Fubuki did not look upset at all. He smiled broadly at Ryo and moved to pat him on the back.

"The better man won," he assured in a voice that Ryo felt was a bit _too_ loud, and then in a quieter tone that suspicion was confirmed, "We'll discuss this when we get back."

This couldn't get anymore awkward.

"Ahem!"

Chronos's throat clearing sounded much more raspy down a microphone than should have been possible.

"We have still to announce the queen of this night," he said, much to the excitement of the students, each girl wanting to be seen as Ryo's queen, "I will now reveal to you all, that the one you've chosen to best represent the girls of this establishment is…" he tugged at the next envelope, having some trouble opening it, "Is… is… this can't be right. Is apparently Fubuki Tenjoin."

Take that back – things could get a lot more awkward.

He turned to face Fubuki, not having any idea how the other would react to this news. Being crowned the best girl in the academia wasn't an award most normal boys wanted to receive.

Thankfully, Fubuki was not a normal boy.

His arm shot into the air, as it did before he started that dance he loved so much and he announced in a clear and confident voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am honoured to get this award. To know that you think so highly of us - the royalty among you. May our good looks rain down on you all, so that you will one day aspire to be as beautiful as your king and queen."

Ryo now knew the true meaning of the metaphorical term to have your blood frozen. He wanted the term "to be swallowed up by the earth" to be a reality also… This was not happening.

He failed to notice that Fubuki's arm had found its way around Ryo's shoulder once more. While he was still in this state of disbelief, Fubuki tipped Ryo's head in his direction and kissed him. Not a light kiss on the cheek, oh no – it was a full on kiss, well in the view of the crowd. There were various cheers and jeers from them, but the only thing Ryo was aware of was Fubuki's mouth, and the heavy beats of his heart.

After that night, no one particularly questioned Ryo about how his first prom went. But if they had, Ryo would have summarised all the bubble, talk, awards and kisses into one word: awkward.


	22. Shou & Asuka (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shou discovers something about his brother that he can't keep to himself. But he just can't bring himself to talk to her.

It was awkward for her as well as him. Shou just knew it was.

Well, he didn't know for certain that it was, but he had a strong idea that it could be. She just had to know. He wasn't afraid to admit that she was most likely smarter than Shou was himself, and if he'd found out, then she'd probably known about it for much longer than he had.

The problem was talking to her about it. It wasn't as if they'd never exchanged words before at all, but since the start of the year, Shou had felt shy about talking to Asuka. He wasn't like Manjoume, who could yell his feelings for her from the rooftops; when Shou saw Asuka, he turned bright red and choked up.

So, how could he possibly talk to her about something as strange as this?

But he couldn't keep it inside him forever. It was his brother and… and… it just wasn't something his brother would do.

He couldn't talk to Juudai about it, because Juudai wouldn't understand, and while Hayato would probably be easier to open up to, Shou didn't want to tell the whole world about a matter so awkward that was associated with his family.

But Asuka was different because she was involved. It wasn't as if she wasn't going through the same thing that he was. Was it?

It was just doing the actual talking that Shou had problems with. It was hard enough catching Asuka on her own without Junko or Momoe giving him pointed glares that suggested he wasn't wanted. And whenever she was on her own, Shou was around Juudai. On the rare occasions when he did see Asuka alone and Juudai wasn't with him, Shou just lost the nerve.

Maybe… he could talk to the other person about this. He wasn't sure what to say or how they would respond to being discovered, but talking to them would be a lot easier than finding the nerve to talk to Asuka.

He made his way to the Blue dorm, being careful to sneak in when not many people would see him, so he wouldn't get verbal abuse for trespassing on their territory. After a short walk through the maze of elegant stairways and corridors, Shou found the room he was looking for. He raised his hand to knock on the door…

"Shou?"

He turned around to see a confused Asuka blinking at him.

"What are you doing here?"

It was no good, his cheeks turned red and he looked straight down at the floor. This couldn't get anymore awkward.

There was a loud moan from the other side of the door.

Okay, it _could_ get more awkward.

He risked a glance up at her, as he heard his brother's name muttered lustfully inside the room. To his surprise, she was blushing too. The usually calm and collected Asuka actually had colour to her cheeks.

_"…Fubuki…"_

But then, it was her brother in there, too.

For a moment, their eyes met, and they really didn't need to say a word. Shou's brother, Ryo, and Asuka's brother, Fubuki, were in there doing, who knows what they were doing, but it certainly wasn't anything other people knew they were doing. Except Shou and apparently Asuka.

That was all there was to it. He opened his mouth to attempt to say something, but then closed it and smiled. They both had a silent secret to share now.

Quietly, Asuka whispered, "We probably shouldn't be standing here like this."

Shou nodded mutely and walked with her back out of the Blue dorm. Perhaps his brother's romantic interests weren't so much of a trouble to him after all.


	23. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki wants to be at one with the universe, and Ryo will do it with him whether he wants to or not!

"I am at one with the universe..."

"That's nice."

"I am at one with the universe."

"I heard you the first time."

"I _said,_ I am at one with the universe!"

"Well could you do it somewhere other than my bedroom? …And preferably not under my bed covers."

"Ryo, you're ruining the mood."

Fubuki half-crawled out of the pretend tent he'd made by pitching up Ryo's bed sheets with an umbrella he just happened to have lying around. He was dressed in his usual Hawaiian shirt and shorts, but for the moment, they were covered with jewellery of varying mismatched stars and other lunar symbols.

"I didn't say I wanted to partake in the mood," Ryo pointed out, "And why did you choose to do this in my room, anyway?"

"Because if another dimension sucks me through, I need someone reliable to pull me back out," Fubuki told him, as if this was obvious. The real reason was more likely that he'd get bored sooner if he had to do it on his own.

"And before you ask me why I'm doing it," Fubuki went on, seeing Ryo open his mouth once more, "It's because _everyone's_ doing it. I want to keep up with the trends. If there is a cosmic energy out there, then I think it'd be missing out without me."

"It's all a fad," said Ryo, who was never one to follow crowds.

"That's the whole point," said Fubuki, "If any fads take hold of Duel Academia, it is my duty to pursue them to keep up with the everyone else until I inevitably set up a new trend for them to follow. Being popular and not mysterious is hard work, you know."

"It certainly looks it," Ryo agreed, watching several bangles slide from Fubuki's arm.

"Now get in the tent and start channelling cosmic energy with me."

_"What!"_

"You heard me, on your knees, Ryo!"

"Do you realise how wrong that sounds?"

"It's only wrong if you think it's wrong, now hurry up, before the moment passes!"

Ryo didn't wait to be told again, he was already heading towards the door, quite content to surrender his room for a while if it meant not having to sit under a blanket with another guy and make odd sounds.

But Fubuki was faster; he grabbed hold of Ryo's legs and pulled him to the floor, sending the stars from his jewellery flying everywhere. There was much struggling from Ryo, but Fubuki managed to pull him into the tent, sitting on his back to stop him moving. The scuffle caused the umbrella to collapse however and the two were left flailing around trying to get out.

After a minute or so, Fubuki managed to find the edges of the sheet and fling the covers off them both.

And there sat Fubuki, straddling Ryo, with jewellery and glitter all around. Somewhere in the fight, Ryo's top had been pulled up, too.

Somehow, being at one with the universe wasn't supposed to be like this.

"At least no one saw us," he said, positively.

There was a flash from the window and when they both glanced over a boy carrying a camera could be heard laughing as he scrambled down the tree and sprinted off.

"Well…"

"Well?"

Ryo's face looked to suggest that if the next sentence that came out of Fubuki's mouth wasn't worth listening to, that he might not have a mouth to speak with tomorrow.

"Want to discuss life, the universe and everything?"


	24. Juudai/Junko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When she was paired up with him for the tag tournament, Junko was forced to think about Juudai. As well as think about why she hadn’t thought about him before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on Tag Force 2.

He cheered out loudly when he won. Again.

It could certainly be said that Juudai Yuki loved duelling. Being good at it was just an added bonus. And yet… she'd found that a lot of his opponents didn't mind losing to him. With the amount of energy and enthusiasm he showed while duelling, it'd be easy to picture him being just as happy about losing as he was winning. That attitude sort of rubbed off on people.

He was an interesting tag partner, to say the least.

Junko wasn't quite sure what to make of it when they'd been put together. Currently the rotation of tag partners lasted about a week, and no one knew whom they'd be getting as a partner until the computer put the two names next to each other.

She'd never paid much attention to him before.

"That was an amazing duel!" he cried out.

"You said that about the last five as well," she said doubtfully, as the two of them walked away to find their next opponent.

"Well they were all amazing," Juudai assured, "You're a really good duellist."

She rolled her eyes, "Don't flatter me with compliments, there's loads better duellists than me in the school."

"I mean it," he stopped walking so suddenly that she had to turn back to look at him, "I've never seen you duel before, but you've got some really good strategies." She made to dismiss this compliment but he was faster, "Can I see that Winged Rhynos card you have?"

Shrugging, she said, "Sure," and took it out of her deck to hand it to him.

He admired it for a few moments, before saying, "That card really saved the duel at least two times. I doubt we'd have had enough life points to come back if that Mirror Force had got through. It really is a handy effect, isn't it?"

"Y-yes, it is," Junko said, surprised by his attention to detail.

To her Winged Rhynos was an important part of her strategy. But others didn't see it that way… None of them seemed to see the use in a card that could be sent back to its owner's hand when a trap was activated. Juudai was the first person that'd thought it would be useful to avoid pesky traps that could hinder it like she thought. Not only that, but he'd used the effect too.

Her heart almost missed a beat. That meant that during the duel, her card had been returned to Juudai's hand. She hadn't noticed. Sure, he played it soon after that, but she should have noticed that for a brief moment in time, her card wasn't considered part of her deck. Why hadn't she?

She looked at Juudai, his eager face watching the Winged Rhynos card and comparing it to the cards in his own deck.

She'd never paid much attention to him before.

And she had to admit she'd thought he was a bit stupid. He didn't seem to care about anything. But… looking at him now, he clearly did care about duelling. He knew what to do; he just didn't put it into words. That must have been what others meant when they said he was instinctive. So he probably wasn't stupid after all… She inwardly felt bad for labelling him as such now.

"We should hang out more," Juudai called, breaking her thoughts once more.

"Huh, what? We shouldn't do that," uttered Junko, before she had a chance to think about it.

"Why not? You seem to like duelling with me and we could talk about strategies, it'd be fun," he said, smiling at her.

Why hadn't she paid much attention to him before?

It had to come down to… Asuka. Juudai and Asuka. No one said they were together, neither of them said it, either, but there was something between them that Junko just couldn't avoid. Asuka was one of Junko's closest friends, if there was a chance that Asuka liked a boy, then Junko would keep away from him. She might love boys herself, but her friendship with Asuka was more important than that.

After she hadn't replied for a few moments, Juudai carried on, "You don't have to, though. It was just a thought. I know that you'd probably think it'd be weird to hang out with a guy." He started to walk again.

"It's not that!"

She covered her mouth. But he'd already stopped to look back at her now.

"That is…" she stuttered. Why was she stuttering and getting embarrassed about talking to Juudai? He was just Juudai! He wasn't an attractive boy that she wanted to date - he was a duellist. He was… a duellist. And maybe… she wanted to be a duellist, too.

"I'd… like to hang out with you more," she said, swallowing and trying to get the image of Asuka out of her mind, "Maybe you could help me with duel strategies."

His face broke into one of his genuine smiles.

"That'd be great! Though you really don't need much help at all. You can swarm the field with Hunter Owls really well," he said.

And that was it. He was a duellist. It was really all about the duels to him. He'd never even think that hanging around with a girl could be for any other reason.

She was glad of that.


	25. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo muses on dying young, his own death and Fubuki’s thoughts on dying.

Heroes die young.

Dying young was suppose to look cool. Which is why it hadn't surprised Ryo when Fubuki told him that he wanted to die young.

It wasn't a meaningful statement, just one that had turned up casually in a conversation. Fubuki tended to talk about unusual things like that; it was part of the reason Ryo liked talking to him so much.

It was odd that this conversation came to mind when it did. Ryo was dying in the Dark World, with his brother and some of the others surrounding him. Fubuki was already gone. But for some reason, that casual, passing conversation from their first year stuck in his mind.

He was certainly dying young now.

A hero's death.

Had that been what Fubuki had meant?

Ryo presumed that he wouldn't get the chance to ask him as he slipped away. But surprisingly enough he... did.

He hadn't been keeping track of the time, so he couldn't say how long afterwards it was when he was sitting in the hospital, recovering from his operation. A few people had been to visit him, but not many. Everyone had been busy lately.

The ones who came all asked the sorts of questions you'd expect to ask someone who had just been in for an operation: "How are you feeling?" "Do you think you'll be in the wheelchair long?" "Is there anything I can do for you?"

But Fubuki didn't ask questions like that. Ryo was alive, Ryo was seated in front of him in no immediate suffering, and therefore Ryo was all right.

He launched into a discussion about the sorts of things they used to talk about when they were closer. As if the past few years hadn't happened and it wasn't awkward between the two of them at all. It didn't take long until the question turned up.

"So what's dying like?"

Ryo analysed Fubuki's face for a few moments, before replying, "Didn't you feel that when your soul was removed?"

"Nah, that was more like imprisonment," dismissed Fubuki, "But actual dying, how does it feel?"

"It's not something you get the chance to ask someone often," Ryo replied, though he should have known better than trying to justify Fubuki's logic to himself by now, "And it feels... I suppose it feels like closure. You might not have done everything in life, but suddenly you don't have to. And if you're doing it for the right reasons, it's satisfying."

The lips of Fubuki pursed as he thought about this, before he said, "You know, I'm really not sure I want to die young anymore. I mean, it must be amazing to die as a hero, but there's so much I want to do. Maybe I'll just wait and die when it happens."

"That's what most normal people do, yes," Ryo said, grinning pointedly at him. It was worth the scandalised look thrown at him by Fubuki.

That was then.

Then was a long time ago.

Fubuki had lived to an old age. It was surprising the amount of people Ryo knew who lived so long, when he considered what their lives had been like.

But this was hardly the first funeral Ryo had been to. Age caught up even with those who were experts at cheating death, and one by one, the people who had graced Ryo's life with their presence were leaving him.

He thought about these various musings and conversations he'd had about death with Fubuki as he sat through the ceremony. It was hard not to.

And as they all rose up to pay their respects to him, Ryo felt sure that Fubuki's long life had led him to do at least most of the many things he'd wanted to do through his life. He was at rest.

But Ryo was alive and not at rest. He was growing increasingly aware of his ability to live longer than anyone else. It was ironic, considering. And he couldn't bear the thought that losing all these people felt so normal to him. It didn't cause him as much grief as it should have done. Why had he always been rational before emotional?

But this was Fubuki. Rational was out of the window when it came to him. He was probably standing from wherever it was he had gone, laughing at Ryo for holding back on doing half the things he wanted to in his life.

He wouldn't do that this time, though.

As it grew to his turn to pay his respects, he stepped up to the body of Fubuki. He'd purposely waited until after most people had already been, because the embarrassment and shame of his feelings still gripped him. He leaned down until the face of Fubuki was close to his own. So cold. So lifeless. So real...

Then he kissed Fubuki softly on the lips and pulled away again.

It didn't matter if the kiss had been to show his feelings of affection as a friend or feelings that he loved Fubuki more. What mattered was that it was one thing Ryo had wanted to do before he died. To kiss Fubuki. His only regret was that he couldn't do it while the other had been alive.


	26. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo makes some confessions about Fubuki’s stay in hospital, and Fubuki makes some of his own concerning his graduation.

The attack of the Seven Stars that followed the first attack, from Darkness, was something of a garbled mess. But for the most part, if nothing else, the conclusion had been reached that sometimes Fubuki was awake and sometimes Fubuki was unconscious. There was not much that seemed to be done other than to accept that conclusion.

The matter had improved considerably since Asuka had defeated Titan. Fubuki was a lot more responsive than he had been before and he was starting to regain some of the personality he'd had before his disappearance.

Ryo could tell Fubuki was getting better when he hadn't shown up for class two weeks after his due date for being released from the hospital had passed. By now it would be safe to go and poke Fubuki about returning to class. If the rumours were true about him sitting out this year and redoing some of the grades that he'd missed, then he wanted confirmation of that from Fubuki himself.

As he walked into the hospital, he was greeted by Fubuki, sitting cross-legged on a hospital bed while making a necklace out of flowers he'd taken from a vase. It could certainly be said that Fubuki had gotten a lot of flowers from girls wanting to send him their well wishes since he'd woke up, so a few being used for a necklace wouldn't go amiss, but regardless Ryo felt that the girls would be a little insulted to know that he was tearing up their gifts so readily.

He also noticed the bin was stuffed with full boxes of chocolate. Not a lot of people knew Fubuki hated chocolate, it would seem.

The boy looked up as Ryo approached and grinned widely.

"Ryo! I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me," he called, cheerful as ever.

"You're not someone most people could forget about," Ryo returned, watching Fubuki loop some of the necklace around his foot, as the chain grew longer.

"But that can't be true, or else you would have come sooner," Fubuki said, a pout forming on his face. Ryo knew that behind the innocent tone of voice was a serious accusation.

"I… did come sooner."

Sighing and shaking his head, Fubuki gestured to the gifts all around him, "Tons of people have been, Ryo. I've sat through all of them. And if you'd been here sooner, then I would have noticed you."

"You weren't in any position to notice," mumbled Ryo.

"You came while I was asleep?" The way Fubuki said it suggested that he was as much thrilled as he was amused, "But if you did, then I'm a light sleeper, so I would have woken up. Shame, because it would have been interesting to know you were that sort of guy."

"You… slept heavily when I came…" assured Ryo, not meeting his eyes.

Blinking up at him, Fubuki said, "You're going to have to clarify that for me, Ryo, because I'm either missing something or you're a bit creepier than I thought you were."

There was a single breath from Ryo before he began.

"I'll admit that I've felt awkward about visiting you since you've woke up. Only because everyone's been visiting you. The crowds of people streaming around your bedside can't have been good for you and I didn't want to add to the stress," he admitted.

"Ah, I get you," nodded Fubuki, "But that's fair weather fans for you. What can you do? I'll bet that while I was unconscious, Asuka was the only person who'd visit me regularly. Not that I mind so much."

"She did come pretty much every day, yes," confirmed Ryo.

"See that's just what I- …Wait, how would you know that?" Fubuki asked suspiciously.

Ryo answered, "Because I was here everyday. It might be weird that I'd come as much as one of your family, but if there was any chance of you waking up, I wanted to be there for you…"

For all it seemed difficult for Ryo to confess this, he received a soft smile from Fubuki.

"No, it's not weird at all. I know you care about me as much as my family does, though I had been wondering when you hadn't come to visit. Being here while I wasn't awake to charm you with my conversations, like I do the girls, shows how devoted you are as a friend. And I appreciate it, though it must have been hard to fight the boredom if you were here so much."

To that last point, Ryo pulled open one of the drawers beside Fubuki's bed, to reveal that it contained a large selection of study books that looked as if they'd been read somewhat recently.

Fubuki laughed. That was just like Ryo.

Continuing on his loop of flowers, Fubuki said, "Since you've brought us onto studying, I have a confession of my own to make."

A nod from Ryo, who was partly dreading what was coming.

"There's been loads of rumours flying around about me dropping out to redo my schooling," he said, waiting for another nod to be given before carrying on, "And these rumours are true." He held up a hand to silence Ryo, who had already opened his mouth to protest, "Now I know what you're going to say: that I'm one of the elite, so I could easily take the exams this year without doing any studying. But that's not the point… I've missed so much Ryo, not just of my school, but also of my life. It's such a great opportunity to be here, and if I graduate now, I'll feel that I've thrown away so much of that. So I want you, as the same friend who's watched over me these few weeks, to accept that I'm going to do this."

A pause as Ryo tried not to bite his lip; then he spoke, "You're doing the right thing, and I will accept your choice. If it were me, then I'd do the same. It's just… a shame that we won't graduate together."

"I'd thought of that too…" Fubuki sighed, "I'd always had visions of us entering the Pro Leagues side by side, but I guess it won't be now." He forced a smile to lighten the mood, "But at least you'll get to warm the place up for me."

A smile from Ryo. And Fubuki could tell that like his own smile Ryo's was one to mask the sadness.

"But seriously, I thank you for accepting the choice I've made. You could have easily tried to change my mind about it or objected, but you've proved once more that you're a true friend."

He finished the necklace of flowers and tied the two ends together.

"And now, as a symbol of our friendship…" he placed the necklace around Ryo's neck, having to loop it twice because of its length, "…You must wear this until the day you graduate and leave this place."

A slow look of horror dawned across Ryo's face and Fubuki burst out laughing.

"Oh man! You actually thought I meant that. And you were going to do it too, I can tell by your face. Sometimes you're such a sap Ryo," and with that Fubuki hugged his friend, still in fits of laughter.

He should have known Fubuki would not be serious about it. He should have known that Fubuki knew him well enough to know that he would go through with something that embarrassing for his sake. And while he knew Fubuki didn't mean that, it didn't stop Ryo from wearing the necklace later as he walked back to the Blue Dorm.


	27. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki gets a difficult person to consider in part of his ‘training’ to become a self-acclaimed romance therapist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a head's up that this was written in 2009, so the definitions of pansexuality in it might not hold up 11 years later. Also it makes the obvious stupid joke and I'm sorry.

"It's obvious what he wants from life."

"Is it?"

Ryo glanced up from the reference book he was poring over to look at the guy Fubuki pointed out. To be honest, he couldn't tell much about the person just by looking at him.

This was somewhat an informal routine between them. Ryo would sit on one of the stone ledges outside of the academia's entrance to read some books and Fubuki would join him to make comments on the other students. This was not gossip, apparently. According to Fubuki, it was practise for his role as a romance therapist.

Today's topic was identifying the sexualities of the students just by looking at them. Thankfully, Ryo was not asked to contribute. Because to Fubuki, the idea of having a deep conversation with someone was not to show that you actually wanted to talk to them, you just wanted someone to throw ideas at while they listened to you. Ryo was quite content with the set up; he listened to Fubuki and didn't contribute anything verbal in return. Though he didn't truly understand this topic and felt it was a bit pointless.

"Oh yes, Ayanokouji completely loves himself," Fubuki confirmed, "He thinks all the girls should be all over him. Sometimes I'm sure he's trying to take my place, the deluded fool." He laughed in a way that suggested he didn't mean this as harshly as it sounded.

Ryo had to agree with that, though he didn't voice it. Looking around the crowd of students heading from the building, he nodded towards a girl.

"And her?"

"What, Ran? You honestly don't know?" Fubuki said, his eyes widening. As Ryo shook his head Fubuki continued, "She's definitely into boys. The tall, handsome ones at that."

As it seemed Ryo didn't get what he was hinting at, Fubuki concluded, "Just don't get too close to her, you'd regret it later."

Nodding indifferently, Ryo paused for a moment then tried Fubuki with a more difficult one, "What about _my_ thoughts on romance?"

Fubuki pretended to think for a moment.

"You do spend a lot of time around that lighthouse."

Ryo shot him a glance.

"Joking, joking!" he assured, "But seriously speaking, you're not an easy person to answer for."

"If you do become a 'romance therapist', most of the customers you'll have to deal with will be difficult," Ryo replied.

"Good point," Fubuki said, looking seriously off towards the forest as he thought, "Though I really don't think individual sexual attraction applies to you."

"You're joking again," said Ryo flatly.

"No, I really mean it this time," Fubuki answered, "Not everyone's as straight forward as liking guys or girls, or even liking both for that matter. There's something else… I think you're pansexual."

"That better not mean what the obvious would lead it to mean," answered Ryo.

"No, you're not attracted to pans," Fubuki confirmed, amused that sexuality was one of the few subjects Ryo wasn't versed in, "It means that you choose your relationships based on the person, regardless of their gender. You've always been one to treat people as equal regardless, so I think that if you were to choose someone, it'd be based solely on emotions and nothing else. That's not to say you're attracted to both though," Fubuki added that last note, worried that accusations of being into men might be too much for Ryo.

Closing his eyes for a moment to reflect on this, Ryo mumbled, "It does make sense… I have never thought about wanting to be with a girl before, but I care about my friends as equals."

"Well maybe one day you'll find a girl you care about enough to settle down with her." Fubuki winked at him.

"From what you said it shouldn't have to be a girl," smirked Ryo, breaking out of his thought and getting up from where he sat, "Maybe I shouldn't consider looking and just expect them to come when they do… Though I'd think anyone who wants to date me would have to have a lot of patience."

Watching him walk off, Fubuki got ready to follow, whispering to himself, "I'm working on that."


	28. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo has never thought much about wishing before, but as he moves closer to the Pro Leagues, he considers it could be time to start.

As a general principle, Ryo Marufuji was not a superstitious person. He respected those that were; because to Ryo, respect was the most important thing anyone could have in life, but he didn't follow those beliefs himself. He did not touch wood when he spoke of illness, he did not recite any sort of chant when he saw magpies and even as a child, he didn't put his baby teeth under a pillow to expect money from some fairy.

Ryo just preferred fact. He found his efforts were much better focused on elements of life he knew were there than make up new ones that probably weren't there at all.

That being said, he didn't do well with the concept of wishing. Not that he opposed the notion, he just always felt it was more sensible to go out and do something yourself if you wanted it done, instead of wishing for it to happen.

So with that said, he'd been a bit floundered when Asuka had brought up the subject of wishing at the lighthouse. It was light-hearted talk, unusual for the two of them. Some days before Ryo was due to graduate, one of them must have noticed that, for all the time Ryo had spent at the lighthouse with Asuka, and for all the time he'd spent there with Fubuki before her, there had not been a time when the three of them had been there together. So they sought to fix that, to have one last time at the lighthouse before Ryo left, as two siblings and their friend.

For the most part, as they spoke of wishes, Ryo listened quietly to what Asuka and Fubuki thought of the concept. It wasn't until afterwards, as he travelled home on the ferry, that he had time to dwell upon it.

Both of them were quite similar in their opinions, though they probably didn't notice it. If Ryo pointed out any similarities between the two siblings, they'd both look as if he was suggesting something unspeakable.

Though as he mulled over the reactions they'd had, it became clear that they both looked towards the future. That was the sort of positive people they were. Neither of them wished to change anything about their pasts, even with some of the traumatic experiences that had happened during their times at Duel Academia. They both wanted to have health, successful careers and to stay close to their friends.

As far as he could fathom, the concept of wishing this seemed logical to Ryo. You could try your best to work at all of those aspects of life, but some of them were just outside of your control. If there _was_ any outside force helping you with your life, it would be best to focus it on an area you couldn't control yourself.

Which brought Ryo onto the subject of what he'd wish for himself. If anything, the aspects mentioned by the Tenjoin siblings seemed sensible to him. He was about to take a huge step in his career – entering the Pro Leagues. So, he wanted his health, to be sure that he could perform the best that he possibly could. He'd worked up to this moment for so many years, so he wanted the Pro Leagues to go successfully, so it wouldn't feel like the studying he'd done had been wasted. And of course, he wanted to stay in contact with his friends.

This last point worried him most of all. The other two he could control a bit better, because they involved going to the Pro Leagues and he was heading there anyway. But going to the Pro Leagues was exactly what was causing trouble with the last aspect. For, by going there, he was moving away from his friends.

He was the only one of them who'd graduated that year, so there'd be no one to stand by his side. He wanted them to do the best they could in the academia, but at the same time, he didn't want them to forget about him. Especially not Fubuki or Asuka.

Out of everyone, he felt closest to them. Fubuki had been his best friend since the first year and he'd spent so much time with Asuka trying to help her find her brother after he'd gone missing.

Yet he didn't want to hold Asuka back. It felt odd even thinking about her like that, but he knew that over the course of her first year, Asuka had spent so much time with him. He appreciated it, but at the same time he could tell that part of her wanted to be with Juudai's group more. She had too much pride to become a tag-along to Juudai, but he offered her a sense of fun she probably hadn't seen since her brother had left. At least now that Ryo had graduated, he knew that Asuka could spend more time getting to know her other friends.

Fubuki was a whole different story. Ryo didn't quite know where to categorise him. At first he thought it'd be hard for Fubuki, because of the absence in his life and education. It felt wrong to leave Fubuki with a younger generation that he did not know. But Fubuki proved him wrong and fitted right in with the others almost instantly. They all found him a fun person to be around, as was often the case with Fubuki.

And for all it made Ryo happy to know that Fubuki would not be alone, there was also a pang of sadness inside of him. Ryo didn't mix well with others; he was distant, so it took a lot for him to make friends. It didn't feel right that Fubuki could so quickly find others to be around and yet Ryo would probably never find another friend like Fubuki. That boy meant more to Ryo than he'd considered before…

So he decided on his wish, should he ever have to make one. He had to focus on his friendships, since this was most difficult to control.

For Asuka, he wished that she would go far in her friendships with Juudai, Manjoume and all the others she chose to be close to. It would help her to be around people who would encourage her to open up as a person, Ryo thought.

For Fubuki…

He wished that Fubuki would not forget about him.

He had no need to wish for Fubuki to have success in new friendships, because Fubuki was so good at friendship on his own. He wanted to keep part of Fubuki for himself, for the other to remember that Ryo had thought of him as a close friend.

And that was it.

There were no cosmic energies attached.

Ryo suspected that it was all fake, but he felt better for getting his potential wishes out of the way, so he could focus on what he could control.

He then noticed that his phone was ringing. It must have been going for about a minute. What kind of person could have the patience to keep ringing for that long?

Looking at the name on the phone he realised that it wasn't so much the patience as it was the determination.

"Fubuki?"

"Hey, Ryo," called the other cheerfully, "You didn't think I'd let you get away that easily did you? I know you said goodbye and everything, but to think you might have to spend a whole two years without me – how horrible for you! So I've made a pledge to phone you everyday."

Perhaps Ryo had made his wish too soon.


	29. Asuka; Manjoume; Fubuki; Kenzan; Ryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone had a chance to react to Jaden becoming the Supreme King. After it’s over, some of his friends stop to consider how they feel about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is based on the English dub, as it was a request for someone who preferred the dub.

Alexis almost choked when she heard.

Okay, so she didn't. She was a well-composed girl, so choking wasn't something she made a habit of; it took a lot to surprise her and this certainly did.

More so that she didn't even hear about it from Jaden himself. It was Syrus who eventually recounted the events of the Dark World that happened after herself, Chazz, Atticus and Hassleberry had been sent to the stars. They all sat around the table, listening to him, and each of them reacted in a different way. For her… it was more a lack of reaction. At least on the outside.

On the inside, it was a different story.

She'd noticed Jaden had been different since he's returned, and she'd heard some talk of Yubel, but she had no idea about what was truly going on with him. Whatever it was, it had changed Jaden completely. Usually, he was so open about his feelings, but now he'd shut himself off from them all and became so secretive. On the rare times that they'd spoken, she almost had to remind herself that this was Jaden she was talking to and not Zane.

Was he ashamed of what he'd done?

The torment he'd caused others as the Supreme King sounded like a great burden to bear. From what Syrus had said, Jaden had even been responsible for sending away Axel and Jim, both of whom had been his friends.

How could he face them now?

She knew that if it had been her in his place, that would be the first thing dominating her mind. And Jaden… he was such a free spirit. He wasn't as stern as she was, so it must have been even harder for him to come to terms with this.

Although she couldn't be sure that this was the reason why he'd shut himself off from them all, it was the only reason that she felt she could deal with right now.

But Jaden was her friend. He'd stood by her many times before and if he needed her to do the same for him, then she wouldn't be the one to turn away from him.

Taking a deep breath to bury the sadness, she took to go towards the dorm that he remained in alone.  
  


* * *

  
When Syrus had told them about what Jaden had done, it was Chazz who reacted first, Chazz who questioned him the most in a sharp, angry tone, and Chazz who inevitably had to be silenced by an angry glance from Alexis.

After the 'meeting' was over, he'd made the biggest show of leaving, making an audible slam of his bedroom door in his newly reacquired Blue Dorm room. They would all have no doubts how Chazz felt about the Supreme King.

But when inside, Chazz slumped down against the door with his head in his arms. For a moment, the ghostly figure of Ojama Yellow made to go over to him, but his brothers held him back. With all their antics, even they knew when Chazz needed a moment to reflect.

Stupid Jaden…

He was always such an idiot, but he was always such an indestructible idiot.

He was supposed to be the one that they could count on to bail them out of trouble. He was supposed to be the hero. How dare anyone who could defeat Chazz go on to be corrupted so brutally themselves.

But then…

The thought flashed across his mind only for a moment, but although Chazz was good at denial, the presence of the thought made it settle in his head. Was he so mad at Jaden for becoming the Supreme King or was he mad at himself for not being there to help Jaden the one time Jaden actually needed help?

Over the years, there hadn't been just one time when Jaden had helped Chazz. It was Jaden who pulled him away from his brothers in the first year, it was Jaden who soon after helped Chazz find the Ojama cards that helped defeat those same brothers, and it was Jaden who dragged him back from the Society of Light. He wouldn't admit it to himself, but somewhere down inside of Chazz, he had started to feel almost like a damsel in distress for Jaden, and this notion mocked him so much that he'd really wanted to save Jaden to balance out their score.

But he hadn't been there to stop Jaden from being consumed by the darkness in his heart. It hadn't been him who'd defeated that darkness or advised Jaden on what to do afterwards. He'd been stuck in the stars, unable to do a thing…

And now Jaden didn't need saved.

Or did he?

Since they'd gotten back, none of them had seen him very much. And it didn't take seeing him a lot to see that he was different.

Chazz wasn't good at figuring people out. And he wasn't good at words. But he was starting to think he was good at understanding the old Jaden. The idiot. He knew where he was with that idiot. And maybe he couldn't do anything to help Jaden, but if he didn't try, it'd never let him go.

He got up, walking past the Ojamas and out of the door.  
  


* * *

  
It was hard for Atticus to come to the terms with the fact that it wasn't hard to come to terms with what Jaden had done. It should have meant more to him, like it did the others, but when it came down to it, he really didn't know Jaden as well as any of them.

He'd stayed at the table long after the others had left the room, staring thoughtfully into space. It wasn't until after much thought that it actually did hit him how sad the whole situation was.

Though he knew he hadn't been as close to Jaden as the others had, that didn't mean Jaden had no effect on his life. To the contrary, Jaden had done something very important for him: he'd rescued Atticus's little sister.

When the Light had taken Alexis, it was Jaden that Atticus found to asked for help. Because Jaden was a hero. Atticus knew one of those when he saw one. Because Atticus was good with faces.

And he'd known something was wrong the moment he'd seen Jaden's face when he returned. Those eyes weren't Jaden's eyes. He'd hoped they weren't the Supreme King's eyes either, but as Syrus told them what he knew of Yubel, it all started to come into place. That wasn't just Jaden in that mind.

Another thing Atticus knew about was women, but he really wasn't sure he knew Yubel at all. It seemed that Jaden had accepted her to be part of him. Did that count as a relationship? Atticus wasn't sure. But he'd never thought for a moment that the bubbly Jaden he'd known would choose to combine his life with someone like that.

This wasn't the Jaden he'd known, though. Of them all, Atticus had found this fact the easiest to accept. Jaden had changed and the world would have to adjust with those changes.

Even so…

He didn't think he'd ever let one of his friends embark on a relationship, whether it was one or not, without giving them some advice from the expert romance teacher. Smirking to himself he finally rose from the table.  
  


* * *

  
For all he'd sat silently and heard Syrus out, there was actually something of a rage building up inside of Hassleberry. He couldn't show it in front of the others, it was obvious they were all struggling with the issue themselves, but the moment he had left and was out of earshot, the closest tree felt a smack from his fist.

He couldn't accept this.

He wanted to hate Jaden for this. The boy he'd admired for two years, the boy he'd fought over with Syrus, Hassleberry had given that affection towards Jaden for a reason. It wasn't easy to earn Hassleberry's trust, but it was certainly easy to lose it.

And as far as he was concerned, Jaden had just lost it. How could anyone cause that much suffering without having a second thought? Without stopping to see that what they were doing was wrong?

If Jaden could, then he was not the person Hassleberry had thought he was.

And perhaps he would never be that person again… It seemed as if Jaden had grown up and would stay this way, no matter what anyone thought.

If that was so, then perhaps him and Hassleberry could never be friends again. That caused a knot to appear inside his chest. He'd never thought what he'd had with Jaden would end so quickly, without even a goodbye.

If he never saw Jaden again, that goodbye would never have to happen. But then, he'd go through the rest of his life knowing that he'd changed from a bully into an approachable person all for the sake of someone he'd cut himself off from. Someone he'd not given another chance.

Damn, Jaden did get under your skin…

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt for him to go to the Red Dorm. Even if it was just to say goodbye.  
  


* * *

  
Unlike the others Zane hadn't been there when Syrus had told them about the Supreme King. He didn't need to be – he'd seen it firsthand.

He'd been one of the ones who had stepped forward to help stop the reign of that king. And he'd been the one who'd sacrificed his own soul to show Jaden the right path to take.

But all the while he'd never stopped to think about the situation. That wasn't how Zane worked since he'd left the academy after his own graduation. In the past, he'd thought a lot about other people, about how to respect them, but since he'd taken up underground duelling, all he'd thought about was how to complete the objective that was in front of him.

In the Dark World, that objective had been to stop the Supreme King, then it had been to show Jaden how to be strong once more. He'd not once stopped to think about how he felt about it all.

But now he had time. They'd all come back from the Dark World and Zane was crippled. Not that being in a wheelchair changed too much. He knew that either way, it was time to pass on the legacy to Syrus. But being unable to walk seemed to give him more time to think. And thoughts that were more akin with the old Zane were starting to emerge. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.

The Supreme King… Really, that person wasn't too much different from the person Zane had been these past two years. Both he and Jaden had been backed into a corner, with no one to offer them support, and through it, they had both chosen to go down what at the time had seemed like the only route available to them.

He couldn't detest the Supreme King without detesting part of himself, too. But that wasn't to say that he didn't…

If Jaden kept this up, who was to say he wouldn't end up crippled in some way, like Zane was? The old Jaden, he had no doubt would duel happily until his dying day, but he had no idea about this new Jaden. He couldn't say that this Jaden wouldn't mimic his mistakes.

Zane had no place advising Jaden. For he knew that even now that Jaden was still less corrupted than he was himself. And yet… Jaden needed someone to watch over him. Now that Zane had all the time in the world, he could make to look after both Jaden and Syrus.

He started to heave his wheelchair in the direction of the Red Dorm.

It had seemed like a personal thing to do at the time.  
  


* * *

  
Each of them had wanted to come to see him to pay their support or respect to him. They each thought that they'd be the only ones who'd do so. But they should have known that it wouldn't end up that way.

Because when you were dealing with Jaden, he made you feel like you were worth something, no matter who you were. But at the end of the day, he made everyone feel like that. They were all his friends. They had all been shaped by him, or helped by him, somehow in their lives.

If any of them were going to heal Jaden, it would be all of them.

Together, they took hold of the door handle, knowing whatever they faced inside would be a new chapter of Jaden's life and their lives, too.


	30. Darkness/Ryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took a lot to intrigue the embodiment of Darkness, to whom human activities made no sense at all. But perhaps some of them stood a chance.

There was not much in the mortal world that could stir Darkness. The ongoing lives of those simple creatures, bustling around and making their flawed mistakes, did not concern him. Which was quite fortunate, since he was in no position to do anything about these creatures.

He existed powerlessly, but he existed. That was all that was important to him. As long as he existed, he could wait countless centuries for humans to summon him and for him to take a shape in that world. The last chance he'd had at existing was not much more than a year ago, which as far as he was concerned might as well have been but a moment. He dwelled in a mask used to possess a youth by the name of Fubuki Tenjoin, a host he had lost in a duel against the Juudai child. But 'lost' was not an accurate term. As Darkness still had a hold on Fubuki as long as he existed, though he was too weak to make an impression on the boy's life right now. Fubuki had been foolish enough to keep the card of Darkness's mask. And Darkness watched through the mask.

Though learning about the host was optional, Darkness had found himself glancing occasionally at the life this host ran. He found it rather droll. The boy spent most of his days engaging in pointless activities, such as riding on water, creating music and bonding with other human beings. Some cause seemed to spur Fubuki on to crave the affections of others, and he always seemed to smile when he could. But that was not to say he was without worry. Darkness noted that Fubuki frequently thought of the girl Asuka and the boy Ryo with much concern.

This concern grew after the one called Ryo left the academia. The loss of contact with the other boy seemed to worry Fubuki greatly, particularly in light of some apparent changes that had occurred to the boy.

But Darkness did not care. He had observed the boy known as Ryo and found him to be even less interesting than he found Fubuki. This stoic creature seemed to crave perfection and the respect of others in life, which Darkness did not sympathise with. A mortal life was the rush of adrenaline; this was the one thing Fubuki got correct. Forcing back this human urge showed that Ryo was wasting his life, as far as Darkness was concerned.

He listened vaguely as Fubuki discussed Ryo's return to the academia with the former holder of the keys, Samejima. But his interest was stirred more by Fubuki's thoughts afterwards.

Fubuki wanted to use Darkness to defeat Ryo.

This was more than Darkness could have expected from him and the thought of returning so soon brought on the feeling of anticipation, or as close as he could get to it, in Darkness's presence.

It didn't matter to Darkness at all about what Fubuki intended from the duel against Ryo, but in order to defeat an opponent, Darkness wanted to go into the duel with an understanding of how that opponent worked.

So he searched Fubuki's mind.

The recent cards used by Ryo seemed different from the ones Darkness had established him to use beforehand. A cyberdark deck. A cyberdark deck that had being _forcibly_ taken by destroying his former superior and disregarding the cards that he had respected so well in the past.

Perhaps there was a bit of adrenaline to this Ryo after all.

So Darkness delved deeper into what Fubuki knew of the recent Ryo. It barely took skimming the surface to find out about the 'Hell Kaiser' persona that Ryo had adopted. To this new person, respect meant nothing, only victory made sense.

It seemed that a mortal had finally come to understand what Darkness had known for so long: that the petty activities of life did not matter if you didn't succeed in your means at the end. Darkness could wait for millennia, but he would eventually remove the flawed humans from their flawed existence. That was what he worked for.

This Ryo, who called himself Hell Kaiser, was starting to make sense to him.

And his methods of obtaining victory were something Darkness saw as correct, too. You could not receive what you deserved by being nice to people and letting them walk all over you; to receive your means you had to crush people – to slaughter them. This was what victory was about. Knowing that your opponent ultimately accepted that you had destroyed them.

Though Fubuki had only heard rumour of the underground duels, the shock collars Hell Kaiser used had received more than enough media attention. Using them, the loser would suffer, as one who would not succeed in their means should do. And through them, the victors would learn to handle pain, to better themselves and become immune to what the unpredictable may throw in their direction.

Hell Kaiser made sense.

It had been a long time since Darkness had been able to say that about a mortal. It was a shame that the boy seemed to be so caught up in his own goals that he would never consider sharing victory enough to become a host to Darkness. As the duel between Fubuki and Ryo began, it became clear to Darkness that Hell Kaiser had no care for forces that controlled others. He wanted to exist as on own, as the sole winner in a world where other people relied on forces outside of their control to fight their battles. This was what Darkness wanted too - ultimately, the hosts were only a temporary measure.

So, a being that thought so much like Darkness did himself would only be wasted if Darkness was to take him as a host. Regardless, Darkness approached the duel with much anticipation. To see this mortal work, that would be a duel worth participating in.

It was just a shame that, inevitably, Darkness would have to crush Hell Kaiser.


	31. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo follows some advice to give Fubuki a taste of his own medicine, but you can’t expect things to go right when it comes to Fubuki.

"I haven't slept for two days…" a tired Ryo muttered to Asuka, as they stood at the lighthouse.

"It could be worse." The doubt in her optimism could be heard clearly through her voice.

"It _will_ get worse," Ryo pointed out. It was hard to tell a scowl from his usual stoic face, but there seemed to be one to Asuka.

After a moment's pause, she said, "You could always just tell him not to."

"He's missed me, and we haven't seen each other for a long time. Really, he's just trying to show his affection," Ryo pointed out.

"But serenading you from below your balcony is a little… unusual. Even for Fubuki," mumbled Asuka, shaking her head at the mental image, "You need to make him understand how it feels for you to be put in that situation."

"That's not possible, there isn't anyone else on the island that can play a ukulele," Ryo pointed out.

Raising an eyebrow, Asuka replied, "You think my brother can play that thing?"

"He… tries his best," mumbled Ryo, but after two nights of listening to it, he was sure that Fubuki could not play the ukulele at all.

"So really, anyone could do it," said Asuka, and with a shrug, they left the discussion there for the night.

At first Ryo didn't put more thought into that suggestion, but when he returned to the dorm that night, Fubuki still came. Even after Ryo had politely told him he had to go to bed, Fubuki didn't let him leave. On the forth day, Fubuki didn't even stop _after_ Ryo went to bed. By the fifth night, Ryo knew that he had to put a stop to it and this was his only option.

Finding a ukulele wasn't easy, and he had to be cautious about having one imported, because if someone saw a package like that going to Ryo's room, they might get the wrong impression. But when it was there, Ryo sat the ukulele on the floor and looked it over. As far as stringed instruments went, it didn't seem very notable.

He tried strumming a few of the strings. It made… the same sound as he'd expected it to make. He tried a few chords. And when he was feeling adventurous, he played a short song from a book that had come with it.

It should have been easy, but when he'd finished, Ryo had to accept that it _was_ possible to be worse at playing the ukulele than Fubuki was – and he was it.

As he left for the balcony in front of Fubuki's room, he considered how lucky he was that their rooms were so close together – that way, if anyone heard the noise, they'd just think it was Fubuki playing for Ryo again. Regardless of this, he waited until it was as dark as possible before he put this into motion.

Looking up at the room, he saw the lights were on, so that should mean Fubuki was there and awake at least.

He plucked a few notes on the ukulele quietly. No response.

He tried the same notes, louder. But not loud enough, apparently.

It came down to a song didn't it? Ryo would have to play a tune to get his attention. And preferably one that was as long as possible, so that Fubuki could understand how it felt.

Striking up on the tune he'd memorised earlier, Ryo realised that even a memory as good as his did not help to make the sound any better. But it seemed to cause some movement from the room. After the footsteps, there was the sound of Fubuki battling to draw back his curtains, then the boy ran out on the landing.

He froze when he saw Ryo standing there in mid-tune.

"Ryo? What are you doing?"

"I…I'm…" He really hadn't thought this through to the point of talking to Fubuki. Perhaps this idea was not so good after all, "I'm taking a leaf from your book. You've been so nice to play for me these past few days, so it only seemed right for me to do the same for you in return."

So now came the point where Fubuki would listen to Ryo play, and find it flattering, but notice how bad it was. The playing would last for as long into the night as possible, even if it meant Ryo was playing the same tune repetitively, and after Fubuki had gone to bed it would not stop. Only-

"Ryo, I had no idea! Just give me a moment." He disappeared into his room again.

This was not part of the schedule.

After a few minutes, Fubuki hadn't come back. Ryo had stopped playing to glance up at the closed curtain.

Then Fubuki came into view – running across the grass, waving a ukulele in the air. He stopped when he reached Ryo, grinning broadly.

"You should have told me you were into the ukulele," he said, "Now you can become an expert under the wise teaching of yours truly and together we can roam the island at night, playing our duet."

One thing Ryo was certain of at this point was that next time Asuka suggested to discourage Fubuki by acting like Fubuki, he would not take her advice.


	32. Juudai & Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Juudai wonders how anyone could keep smiling after everything that had happened.

With the Hikari no Kessha at the height of its power, nobody really had time to do much else other than try to stay ahead of them. Least of all Juudai. Every plan they made seemed to be targeted at him.

At least he could still wake up in the mornings, and usually get dressed, before the world needed to be saved. That was a bonus.

On one such morning, he trailed down from his room to the general area where they all met to talk, running a towel through his recently showered hair. Though it seemed that what remained of the students residing at the Red Dorm had already left. Except for… He glanced over to a figure sat by the TV… Fubuki?

Come to think of it, Juudai hadn't recalled seeing much of him at all since those events had started. It was probably a good idea to make conversation.

"Hey, anything good on?" he asked, walking over to take the seat next to him.

If Fubuki had been surprised to see Juudai, he didn't show it. The boy turned to face him with his usual light-hearted grin.

"Not really, just watching some results from the Pro Leagues," he answered. And sure enough, various wins and losses from different duellists were scrolling up the screen.

Juudai had to hand it to Fubuki - the boy could cope well. Those Light followers had taken his sister, and while he must be worried about her, he still gave you a smile and made time for you when you saw him. Not that Juudai had seen too much of him, really.

"Didn't know you were into watching that sort of stuff," Juudai commented, for the sake of keeping a conversation.

"We all have to follow it," Fubuki reasoned, smiling at him, "Well, we don't necessarily _have_ to, but it's probably a good idea if we want to go there ourselves."

Sometimes it was easy to forget that Fubuki was one of the best students in the academia. Mentally, Juudai kicked himself for overlooking that detail.

"Do you want to go there?" he asked.

There was a pause.

Did Juudai just see a frown appear on that perfectly cheerful face of his? If he had done, it was gone now.

"I'm not sure anymore," Fubuki answered, in what seemed to be his usual voice. But in an afterthought, he added, "I mean, there are so many other careers you can follow with duelling."

"But you want to be famous and the Pro Leagues seems like the quickest way to do that," observed Juudai.

"The Pro League doesn't seem like all it was cracked up to be," Fubuki replied, and there was that falter in his expression again.

"But why…" Juudai followed Fubuki's gaze, which had averted back to the screen.

Hell Kaiser Ryo.

Still on top form with his winning streak, it seemed.

"He used to be your best friend, didn't he?" Juudai asked, too forward to consider not bring it up.

"To be honest, I'm not even sure when it became 'used to be'," Fubuki sighed, there was no trace of the smile now, "You really don't miss a trick do you, Juudai?"

There was a nod from Juudai, who replied, "Everything that's happened recently, it just seemed too perfect for you to still keep smiling. Your sister's been taken, your best friend's changed without any given explanation."

"You don't need to remind me," Fubuki said, "Sorry. I'm usually not that snappy."

"With the losses you've been through, you have every right to be snappy," said Juudai, shrugging, "To be honest, I've been wondering how you can always look so cheerful after everything that's happened."

"That's… just my way," mumbled Fubuki. He took a picture from his pocket to look at it; from what Juudai could see over his shoulder, it was a photo of him with his arms around Ryo and Asuka, grinning madly at them, "Because at the end of the day, even when your world's falling apart and you've lost the ones you love… there's still people who need a smile in their lives. If you keep smiling, you can help someone, and that's all that I need." He paused and looked at Juudai directly, "You would do well to remember that, Juudai."

And for years to come, as Juudai faced his opponents, he really did remember those words.


	33. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Fubuki announces a theme for his birthday, it could lead Ryo to go to some very strange places…

Fubuki had better appreciate this when he got it back.

He'd stumbled for what felt like the seventh time, really he wasn't keeping track. It was no surprise that hardly anyone climbed down here, even in the day it was tricky, but at night it was much worse.

A theme birthday, he'd said.

What sort of person gives you a theme that you have to follow to buy them birthday presents?

Fubuki did, it seemed.

This year he wanted gifts that followed the theme 'ancient', but he specifically said that the present wasn't to be tacky or falling apart. Which did seem to defeat the point of an 'ancient' theme…

The others who were going to give him presents went straight off to have something sent across from the junk shops on the main land that would have an antique look to them, but apparently this wasn't good enough for Ryo. He'd wanted to get something nobody else would.

It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but Fubuki had waited until the day before his birthday to announce the theme, and Ryo couldn't go without studying for the test tomorrow, so he'd had to wait until the later hours until he could go get the present.

And now he felt his foot touch solid ground. It was… damp. The temperature seemed to drop considerably, too. He paused to look up at the hole he'd climbed down to reach the bottom of the well.

He had to admit that he'd never been here before, but he'd heard about it enough from other students and completely disproved of how it was used. Cards are suppose to be respected, regardless of how strong they were, so discarding the weak ones so heartlessly, like the people who dropped them into the well did, showed that they did not honour themselves as duellists.

This was the only place he could hope to find the present he wanted, though. But as he peered into the gloom, it was clear that he really couldn't see very much. Perhaps a few steps further into the cave…

No, that hadn't been a good idea.

The damp floor caused him to slip up and land on his knees. Now his trousers were covered in as much mud as his shoes had been. His hand may have been grazed, too, but that really didn't bother him as much.

What sort of person would you bother doing this for? He wondered that, as he looked into his pocket for the flashlight that he wasn't sure would have been necessary, but had brought anyway just in case.

He wouldn't have done this for any of his other friends, but it seemed when Fubuki said 'jump', that Ryo had gone down the hole that very day. As he felt an insect of undeterminable breed crawl over his hand, he knew it was all too possible to hate your best friend more than anyone else in the world. At least when your worst enemy told you to go down a well in the middle of the night, you could tell them where to go. But when your best friend did it…

The torch was shining over the cave now, it was clear there were a lot of cards here, after all.

…It wasn't as if Fubuki had even asked him to do this, it had been Ryo's idea, at the end of the day. But something about Fubuki just made him want to prove he'd gone further than anyone else to achieve the requirement. He still wasn't certain what it was.

As the light past over a copy of the Happy Lover card, he had to smirk to himself.

One thing he knew he would never need in life was a lover, as long as he had a friend like Fubuki. People said that romance could be very demanding, but having someone as demanding as Fubuki was in his life anyway, he really didn't think he could be bothered with doubling that pressure.

Were any of these cards the right ones?

Part of him wanted to take them anyway, it didn't seem right for them to be down here. But then he knew that some duellists came here to get the cards they needed to finish their decks. He couldn't hear the spirits of the monsters screaming, it wasn't his place to hear them.

After about three hours of dirt, crawling and turning over cards, he was considering going home. Though his pride still forced him to stay. That and he wasn't sure where he could get another present good enough.

It was thankful for him that he did stay because… was that…? Yes, it was. Thank goodness for that!  
  


* * *

  
The next morning, Fubuki was greeted by a very tired looking Ryo.

"Panda eyes, did you sleep at all last night?" Fubuki laughed, already surrounded in a sea of wrapping paper from various presents. Fubuki had a lot of friends. It also looked like Fubuki had a lot of antique vases and other knick-knacks.

Noticing where Ryo was looking, Fubuki commented, "I'm starting to think that 'ancient' was a pretty bad theme for presents, after all. You better not have got me a vase, by the way."

Ryo shook his head and handed over the small envelope.

This made Fubuki frown a little. It looked like Ryo had chickened out and only got him money…

He opened it anyway, and caught the single card as it slipped out. An ancient card was it?

But as he turned it over his face lit up straight away. This was perfect. Maybe it stretched the theme a little, but he could really use this card.

He shined it into the light, so he could better appreciate the image on the card of the Red Eyes Black Chick.


	34. Juudai/Rei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years later, Rei finds someone at her house who she didn’t expect to ever see again. And she has to come to terms with how she feels about him for the final time.

He sneezed nosily.

"Bless you."

She hoped that he hadn't sneezed into the soup, but as she thought about what he'd probably been living off for the past so many years, a bit of sneezing into soup probably wouldn't make a difference to him.

"Thank you," he sniffed, wiping his nose, before starting to drink from the cup she'd given him, "This is really good."

"You're lucky I was making it," Rei said, as she watched the gangly figure of Juudai sitting on her floor, wrapped in a spare blanket, "For that matter, you're lucky I found you at all."

"Domino's changed in a few years," he said, sheepishly.

"Domino's changed in _ten_ years," corrected Rei.

"Probably even longer than that," Juudai said, shrugging, "I spent the last three years of my life in Duel Academia, so I didn't really see the city very much."

This didn't feel right. Juudai had gone without a trace. They'd all been prepared for him to go, but when it happened… it happened so fast. No one had a chance to ask him about what was running through his head. Or to tie up any of those loose ends with him.

Though she had a chance to now.

"Why did you go away for so long?" Rei asked, not wanting to beat around the subject.

"I… had to find myself." He looked distant for a moment as he spoke, "It seemed I had affected so many people's lives so much, but when it came down to it, my own dream was just to become the King of Games. After that where, do I go?" He considered that it wouldn't be a good idea to ever tell anyone about his duel against Yuugi.

"And it took you this long to figure it out?" prompted Rei.

"Nah, it took me this long to get bored of living in the desert," he said, the smile returning, "Getting back here was sort of fun, though. Even if I didn't expect it would be you that found me."

"I certainly didn't expect to find you either," she agreed, moving to sit on the floor opposite him, "You almost made be crash the car when I saw you walking on the pavement like it was just another day. You… really don't look too different from how you did when you left."

"You haven't either," Juudai commented, awkwardly, though he had to admit that Rei did look different. She was just entering her teenage years when he'd seen her in the academia, now she was a full grown woman; "But somehow I always thought it'd be Shou or Kenzan who'd find me first when I returned."

She had to agree that she saw his point. As if in some attempt to explain this, she confirmed, "Kenzan's away at a dig right now, but I'm sure he would have run straight to see you if he'd known you were back. And chances are Shou would have been the same, but being a Pro League champion is a full time job."

"I'm glad to hear they ended up with careers that make them happy. But somehow… I sort of expected everything would be the same with my friends when I got back," admitted Juudai.

"It was, for a while," sighed Rei, not looking directly at him, "When you left, it hurt so many people. For a while, it seemed everyone was going to dwell on you forever. They all spoke of you so much… In a way, I was glad that most of them were graduating that year, so I wouldn't have to hear your name anymore…"

He nodded, "I forgot that you had a crush on me back then. It must have been hard for you."

'Back then'?

He still didn't know much about women.

"It was for everyone." Rei swallowed her pride, she wouldn't pretend that she was the first person to be hurt by him; "But they all… moved on. It was slow and it wasn't easy. But after so long, each of them started to accept that you weren't going to come back and got on with their lives."

"That's part of the reason why I went away," he confessed; she did look up at him now; "So many people depended on me to help them along, but when I looked at them, I saw so much potential. Potential to grow and become strong people. As long as I was around, they'd cling onto me and not go as far as they could do. To help them, it was important for me to go, even if it was hard on them all."

"You did the right thing…" she mumbled, thinking about how much the others had all grown since he left. Shou, Kenzan, Manjoume, Asuka and Johan were just a handful of those who had been affected by him, but had learned to become their own people without Juudai in their lives.

"I notice you didn't include yourself in that. You talk of 'them' separately," commented Juudai, raising an eyebrow.

He chose _now_ to become observant?

"I've grown up too… After you left and Duel Academia was over, I went on to study duelling further at university," she protested. But she'd also stayed in Domino, because she'd hoped that one day Juudai would come back. She'd never considered a career away from duelling, because duelling was what Juudai had loved. She'd eventually admitted to herself that she had to stop using her treasured Maiden Deck in favour of the stronger Lightsworn cards, because if Juudai came back as the most powerful duellist of all, she wanted to be good enough for a rematch. It was possibly a good idea not to tell him any of that.

Though he was here now and it felt so wrong…

"I wasn't worried about you when I left," he said, cutting into her thoughts.

Hearing that stung her a little, and she couldn't think of a suitable response.

When she didn't reply, he went on, "You shouldn't take this the wrong way, but from when I first met you, it seemed that you were really determined as a person. After you lost to me and left Duel Academia, I hadn't put much thought into seeing you again, but you came back just as determined to prove yourself as ever. Part of me is glad that you didn't see the horrors of the Dark World, but regardless of how it affected anyone else, when we all got back, you were just as headstrong as ever. So it was always clear to me that nothing would ever hold you back. If I went away, you'd go on trying to prove yourself and the duelling world would have to watch out when you were ready to tackle it."

She blinked and tried to take this all in.

"I didn't know you'd thought so much about me," she admitted, a touch of colour coming to her cheeks, "But you were mistaken, I haven't grown up that much."

The eyes he looked at her through expressed a great deal of sympathy. Part of what he'd thought about her included that she'd move on from her crush and find happiness with someone else. But here she was, living on her own, telling him that all the people who he'd been close to were the ones who had moved on.

"Maybe you do need a final push," he mused aloud, getting to his feet and setting the half-drunk cup of soup down on the side.

"But you said we all had to grow up without you," she said, looking up at him. Even now, she couldn't tell why Juudai acted the way he did.

"I did, and from what you're saying, you all have done," Juudai confirmed, "So if I go back into their lives now, it might mess up what they've achieved when I left. But you, you've been waiting for me. Maybe not in the same way you were as a kid, but you have been. And now I could show you the world of true duelling."

"True duelling?" He'd lost her now.

"To duel for the thrill of duelling," he confirmed, "To go to the strangest places in the world and meet so many weird people and duel them. Just because you can. Just because of the fun you get from it, not for sport or titles. You'd love it, I just know you would. We could go everywhere in the world, and you'll see duels that you never even imagined."

"I can't just leave like that!" she shouted, not sure whether to be shocked completely by the suggestion or laugh at it, "We can't all just get up and leave like it's no big deal. I have a life to live too, you know."

His face was dead set now.

He didn't attempt to justify his offer to her, all he said was, "I'll only offer once."

And he would do, too… If she didn't go with him, then he'd be gone by tomorrow and her dreams of Juudai would have gone with him. If she wanted to be with him, she'd have to change herself for him.

It was Rei's turn to stand up now, and she walked past him to where the aging cat, Pharaoh, had been sleeping by the door.

"Has he been looking after you all these years, Pharaoh?" she cooed, stroking the fur of the mangy cat, "I really have missed you. And someone has to make sure you're not being pushed too hard. So I guess I have to go, for your sake."

She had to decide if she really loved Juudai that much.

It wasn't a difficult decision to make.

Though she couldn't see it, he was smiling at her as he watched her stroke Pharaoh. Perhaps he could adjust his life for some company, too.


	35. Martin/Rei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martin thinks of all the things Rei has done for him since he came to Duel Academia and tries to find a way to thank her for it all.

Why was nothing good enough?

He had to admit to himself that, when it came down to it, he was just a student. He had a budget he could work with, but really, he couldn't be expected to fork out large sums of money.

Though part of him wanted to.

But no, this would be more than enough to use as a gift.

And finally, he'd be able to pay Rei back for everything she'd done.

He shuddered just thinking about it. There was no way anything could be enough, even if he'd had all the money in the world…

How did he even meet a girl like her?

Thinking back, the image came clear into his mind. That girl in the Red uniform, chasing after him with a box lunch, demanding that he should eat it to help him feel better, because he looked ill.

Martin had heard what some of the other girls thought of Rei. They thought she was pushy, because she involved with other people's business where it wasn't her place to do so. That this somehow meant Rei was not a proper lady, like they apparently were.

But for all he might have been shocked at how forward she was in her friendship, Martin didn't feel that way about her. He was glad of the influence Rei had on his life.

After Yubel had possessed him, everyone knew who Martin was. He was the kid that turned everyone into the zombies. But it wasn't his fault - he was just misunderstood. And ever since that event, people who he'd never spoken to before suddenly wanted to know him, because they felt as though they had to befriend him.

This sort of friendship wasn't what Martin wanted. Before he'd been possessed, none of them knew who he was, or cared who he was, for that matter. Rei had cared, though. She'd forged a friendship with him, just because she thought he looked pale… Was that the reason?

She hadn't left after that. She was always trying to help him. For some reason, she cared, and it had been a long time since Martin had come across someone who genuinely cared for him.

Even the issues Martin had with his father, she'd understood. He was sure he'd never spoken to her about him, but when Napoleon finally started to show that he cared for his son, Rei was right behind him. Even though it meant running into a school that was infested with zombies.

When it was all over, and he'd finally been able to be honest with his father, she had snuck in to see if it had gone all right for him. She thought he hadn't noticed, but he'd seen her…

And what had she asked for in return for everything she'd done for him?

The only time Rei had asked Martin for anything was for him to escort her to the toilet when she was scared in the other world. Compared to everything she'd done for him, that was nothing.

And then what he did to her next…

He'd almost gotten her killed!

Well, it hadn't been him, truly. Yubel had struck out against Rei, but it was still Martin's body that Yubel had used to do it.

If it hadn't been for the brave actions of Juudai and the students from the other academies, then she would have died. And it was all down to something he had done.

Had she blamed him for it?

It would be unthinkable to consider that she would do.

She still looked at him with those same caring eyes, she still wanted to make his problems her own problems, and she still wanted to make his life worth living.

How could he look at her, knowing that she still cared after everything that he'd done to her?

It was impossible for any present to thank her for it all. And as much as she never blamed him enough to consider that she had to forgive him, how could any action he could do now be enough for him to forgive himself for what he'd done?

When his father told him they'd be returning home at last, he knew that, as wonderful as it was to finally have a chance to fix his family life, this would also be his last chance to say thank you to her. Because without her, he might never have had this chance with his family at all.

He had considered making something at first, like the stamina lunch she had made for him when they'd first met, but Martin found that cooking was not his forte. And neither was making anything by hand. Any teddy bear he tried to sew ended up looking like the Stuffed Animal card come to life.

So, begrudgingly, he'd had to settle for a bought present.

It wasn't the worst thing in the world, at least he knew Rei well enough to know that she'd probably like this. She was a bit of a girlie girl; there was no hiding that. And any girl who designed her own school uniform must appreciate clothes.

That was where he was in luck. As some of the best designers in the world were from his home country. People would flock for miles to get clothes that had been made in Paris and while French companies were popping up all over the world, nothing felt as genuine as the real thing.

He was no designer himself, but after hours pouring over the catalogues, he thought he found something that he thought would be good enough for her. Now it had arrived, and he had worked up the nerves to present it to her.

He held out the box through shaky arms, and she took it, looking thrilled that he would get her a gift, before she even knew what it was. She eagerly took off the bow he had put onto the box, and the gasp she made was audible as she pulled the dress out of it.

"Marchii, this looks wonderful!" Rei called, holding the dress against herself and twirling around.

He blushed.

Pet names – that was another thing Rei gave him that no one else had done before.

"It… was j-just a little something at the last minute," he stammered out, "…Since we might not see each other again…"

She stopped her twirls and looked at him sadly; "What do you mean?"

"You know I'm going back home…" he said, and when she'd nodded, he continued, "It's not likely that I'll come back to Japan for a long time after that…"

"So?" Her eyes had narrowed in a determination that he'd not seen from them yet, "What does that mean? We can write to each other all the time, and there are e-mails and phones too. Being in another country doesn't change a thing for us."

"You're sure?" he asked, not sure what to make of how certain she was about this.

Her face softened as she replied, "You're the best friend I've had since I came here. You've never pushed me away or thought that I was too overbearing… Losing contact with someone as wonderful as you would be out of the question."

She thought he was wonderful, too…?

"Thank you, for everything," he whispered.

"And thank you too," she replied. He had given her a purpose and someone to care for. She reached down and kissed him on the top of the head.

He froze up. To come here to ask for forgiveness and leave with a close friend, the prospect of his family working out, and his first kiss? Duel Academia had helped his life more than he could ever thank anyone for.


	36. Ryo/Fubuki (feat. Camilla)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo tells the full story of the vampires and Camilla.

"…And then the creature closed in on her, wailing its unholy wail and…"

"Why are the girls in your stories always semi-naked when the ghosts attack?"

"Because that's the whole point of a ghost story! Why would they bother attacking her while she had her clothes on?" Fubuki pouted, flicking the torch under his face back on to emphasis the pout.

"But why would she bother taking her clothes off in a strange house in the first place?" asked Ryo. He was really missing the point of this.

"I'm starting to think coming here to keep you company was a waste of time, if you're just going to criticize my techniques for creating a gruesome tale," Fubuki warned him.

"No, I am thankful for this," assured Ryo, "I just think a ghost story shouldn't have to end up sounding like budget porn."

Scandalised by this accusation, Fubuki thrust the torch towards Ryo, stating, "You tell a ghost story then, if you know so much."

"All right," replied Ryo, better settling himself into the wheelchair to think.

A pang of guilt ran through Fubuki when he remembered that it was even there. It had been so long since he'd gotten to talk to Ryo as just the Ryo that he knew, not this alien star of the Pro Leagues that called himself Hell Kaiser, it was easy to forget that the man who had once been his closest friend was now also crippled.

After a few minutes of thinking, Ryo nodded to Fubuki, waking the other from his trance.

"I believe that I know a story suitable," Ryo said, "Though it is not strictly about ghosts."

"That doesn't matter, as long as it's supernatural and scares me senseless, whatever form of spirit you choose is up to you," Fubuki assured him.

"We'll see," Ryo smiled, before setting out the start of the story, "Our tale begins in the Middle Ages of Europe, at the beginning of the time of the vampires."

"This isn't going to be factual, is it?" asked Fubuki suddenly, "It'd be pretty lame if you used this to disprove all those vampire stories after you met one first-hand."

"A little factual, yes, but it will be necessary," Ryo told him, before continuing, "Vampires were not, as the stories would have it, always from aristocratic families. The beginnings they came from were crueler than that. At the start, vampire was a term used to mean the same as we use the word zombie in modern times."

Fubuki rolled his eyes to symbolise that he was bored, so Ryo chose to go into a bit more depth of the matter, "A true vampire of the early times was the corpse of a villager, rotting and decayed. People know that when a human body is buried, it bloats to a larger size, the skin pales, causing the blood to be seen clearly through it's skin. Not only that, but blood would pour from their mouths and noses as they roamed the streets of the night. When stabbed, their windpipes would emit a squawk, as the remaining gases of their bodies escaped."

Fubuki was recoiling suitably where he sat. That would teach him not to mock Ryo's knowledge of the obscure.

"These were the first vampires, and these were the creatures humans destroyed," carried on Ryo, "Their methods were not pretty. At the start, they tried to burn the undead, but the bodies of these vampires would not burn. Eventually, the humans reasoned that a vampire could not haunt the streets, strangling their children and taking their blood, if the vampire could not leave the coffin it was put in. So the village folk waited until the creature returned to its coffin before the first light of dawn. When the vampire had settled down to sleep for the day, the people would nail the bodies down to the coffin using stakes, so they would not walk again."

"Poor vampires," sighed Fubuki.

"I think you're missing the point, but I'll move on," Ryo continued, "The vampires saw what the people did and realised that humans could be just as dangerous to them as they were to humans. But as they watched through angry eyes, they saw that humans treated each other as equal - if you looked like a human no one would suspect you. But this was not good enough for the vampires – they would not be seen as being the same as the lowly creatures from the villages. If they were going to appear as mortals once more, they would be more beautiful and more important than the creatures that tried to destroy them. So they began to change themselves, the men wearing high-collared robes of black, to state their authority over the village men."

"While the women wore those long, sexy nightgowns complete with underwire," said Fubuki gleefully.

"Yes, quite," coughed Ryo, "There was no doubt that these people were better than the humans, so the village people did not doubt them. They were thankful that these beautiful aristocrats had come and that the corpses that once roamed the country seemed to have disappeared. But alas, all was not perfect. Even without the walking corpses, people were still dying in the night. The vampires had not gone; they must have just changed. And what had shown up when the corpses had conveniently gone away? It did not take anyone long to judge…"

He paused for effect before carrying on with his story, "This began the war of the humans against the vampires. While vampires existed in their aloof social groups, it was not impossible for humans to find them alone and kill them. And soon the once prosperous race of the vampires was losing whole families, until at last, only one vampire remained."

"Camilla…" mused Fubuki, thinking of what others had told him about her and the brief times he'd seen her through Darkness's eyes.

"She was beautiful, but she was scared; this world had no place for her," Ryo went on, closing his eyes, "She knew she was the last, and when she was gone, there would be no more vampires in the world. But she could not have it; a world without vampires was no world at all. So she slept, hoping that when she was woken from her coffin, the world would have lost its suspicion towards the vampires and she could begin her noble race again."

"Choosing only the strongest, and most perfect to become the new breed of vampires," Fubuki went on, "I know the story from there. Though… weren't you out for the count when she told it?"

"She… spoke to me while I was in the doll," confirmed Ryo, "She told me her tale."

He looked at unease, so Fubuki said, "Even though what she did was wrong, I think she made a good choice with you."

That just seemed to make Ryo look somewhat embarrassed, "Maybe back then, but she wouldn't choose me to take that role now." He motioned towards the wheelchair, but Fubuki knew he also meant the way he had changed over the past few years.

"I would," Fubuki said confidently, then when he realised that sounded odd he added, "If I was a vampire looking to start a new, perfect vampire race, that is."

There was a small smile from Ryo, but he turned off the torch so it wasn't so noticeable, "Regardless of what she did, we must remember she was trying to bring back a whole race of people. For that reason, I don't think we should ever forget Camilla."

Fubuki nodded. Even after what happened to him, Ryo still thought nobly of her… Camilla had made more of a right choice than she'd ever know by choosing Ryo.


	37. Shou & Fubuki (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shou realises that he doesn’t know his brother’s best friend very well and tries to fix this, helping out Fubuki more than he knew he could.

Shou had to admit that going to the Pro Leagues had not been like he'd been expecting it to be.

He'd been sort of nervous of it for a long time. Even before he saw what had happened to his brother there, Shou just didn't feel that he was cut out for it. All those Pro League duellists were so cool and calm, plus they handled the fame so well.

While Shou… Shou was short. And probably not so able to handle being famous as those other people were. But at least he didn't panic as much as he used to, he reasoned with himself.

But when he'd actually got there, he found that a lot of these worries had been for naught. People accepted him. They thought that he was a breath of fresh air among all the other tall, stoic figures of the Pro Leagues. And it even embarrassed him to find that a lot of girls thought he was cute. Some of them even said he had the sort of charm to him Yuugi Mutou had when he first started duelling.

Shou had to admit, though, that a lot of the fame he'd received probably had something to do with his brother. For all Ryo said that Shou was a stronger duellist than he was now, and that never again would the younger brother have to follow in the footsteps of the elder, it didn't stop other people from seeing that Shou was Hell Kaiser's younger brother.

Ryo reasoned with him, however, that after seeing him duel one match, they would love him for being who he was, not for being Ryo's brother. And it seemed that he was right. There was an appeal to seeing some of the cards that Hell Kaiser used turn up in duels again now that their original owner had retired, but after a short time, people were coming to Shou's matches for Shou, not anyone else.

Perhaps the Pro Leagues weren't so bad after all, especially since he had a good manager to back him up. Though it was in Shou's nature to worry about his manager, too. He'd noticed that Ryo devoted all his time to ensuring that Shou got the best matches, at the best places and was only duelling as much as he could handle. A few times Shou had told him he should take a break, but Ryo just assured him that if anyone wanted to talk to Ryo, then they could talk to him at work.

It did seem to turn out that way, too, for more than a few times Shou had noticed Fubuki turn up to visit Ryo. The boy seemed to know when Ryo would have enough of a free moment in his schedule to be able to spend some time at him, even at work.

At first Shou thought it was odd that Fubuki was the one turning up to see Ryo instead of his sister, Asuka, whom Shou remembered was close to Ryo when he was at the academia. But then he remembered that others had said Fubuki was Ryo's best friend. He'd never seen it first hand, but perhaps now he would do.

He realised, as he saw the brown haired boy leave Ryo's office, that he really didn't know Fubuki that well. They'd spoken a few times and they both belonged to Juudai's group of friends, but that was about their only connection.

It felt wrong not knowing his brother's close friend. After all, Ryo did know Shou's best friend, Juudai, quite well.

He made a point to approach Fubuki, but words seemed to fail him and he just ended up waving awkwardly.

"Hey!" Fubuki called, cheerfully waving back, it was lucky the boy could cut through embarrassment like a knife, "No need to worry, I won't be keeping your brother from seeing your next match."

"There's no need to be concerned about that, it's two hours before I'm duelling," confirmed Shou, trying to smile enough to match Fubuki's wide grin.

"Not if you ask Ryo," laughed Fubuki, "He seems to think it takes that long to prepare."

"Big brother always does worry to much," agreed Shou.

"But that's what's so good about him," answered Fubuki, "From your perspective, you wouldn't want a casual manager who didn't care about your duels. And even though I hate to admit it, Ryo's stern nature has put me on the right track more than a few times."

"I think you help Ryo, too," said Shou, because it seemed like the right thing to say.

Fubuki look away for a moment, commenting, "Not as much as I should have done, perhaps… But there's no better time than the present to change that." The last part he sounded much happier to say; "I'm glad you came to talk to me, actually. Because I was thinking that we're going to see a lot more of each other soon, so it's sort of a shame that we don't know each other well."

"There's no better time than now to change that, too," Shou said, smiling.

"You catch on fast, I like that," Fubuki laughed once more, "You'll be a great addition to have at movies nights."

"Movie nights?"

Somehow the image of Ryo watching movies did not compute in Shou's mind.

"Yeah, as long as you like budget movies," carried on Fubuki obliviously, "Though not everything's going to be low budget…"

"Oh?" Shou didn't think he was supposed to have heard that last point but he had done.

"It's nothing, it's…" Fubuki paused to look at Shou carefully, "Then again, people are going to find out soon anyway, and you're his brother so you should know him better than anyone."

"Is it something I could help out with?" asked Shou, he'd been told from Ryo before that Fubuki had a tendency to not tell the whole truth and talk in riddles, so he was cautious.

"I think you could," smiled Fubuki, going to look in his pocket for something. He brought out a small box, and even before he opened that box, it wouldn't have taken a genius to guess what was inside, "Do you think your brother will like this? I know it's silver, but he seems to like that more than gold. Then again maybe he doesn't like _me_ that much."

Shou didn't even have to look at the ring much to answer that, "Fubuki I know he'll accept you. Maybe we don't know each other well yet, but I know for sure what he thinks of you and I know that if you want him to marry you, that'll make him happier than he has been for years."

"I think you being in the Pro Leagues makes him happier than he has been in years," said Fubuki, but it was clear that what Shou said had taken a load off his mind.

"Than why don't we both make him the happiest he can be," confirmed Shou, certain that through his brother, he would form a new friendship with Fubuki.


	38. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even so long after, Ryo was still searching that dorm for Fubuki.

"He's in the abandoned dorm, I know that he is!"

"And how do you know that?"

"Because that was where he disappeared."

"Everyone knows that, Ryo! My brother was not the only student to go missing at that dorm. But it doesn't mean he's still there."

He was… Ryo knows that he was. He just didn't know how he knew that, or how to put it into words.

It was rare for him and Asuka to argue on such a point. They were both looking for Fubuki, so they both helped each other. But recently, she was starting to think he was spending too much time at that dorm looking for him.

This didn't stop Ryo from going back there, though. The dorm was the only solid lead that they had in regards to Fubuki's whereabouts.

He walked through the corridors that echoed loudly under his footsteps. Again. He searched in the former rooms of each other the students, lifting up the dusty sheets that covered what couldn't be removed. Again. He climbed over fallen planks of wood to get to those hard to access places. Again.

Though for all he'd looked in those places so many times, nothing about them changed. He knew this was his own fault. That he could look through these places as many times as he wanted, but because he was probably missing out somewhere vital that he'd not checked before, he would not find him.

But Fubuki was in here. He just needed to find that secret entrance, then he would find Fubuki.

And Fubuki would be alive. There was no doubt about that. With each passing day, his resolve on that point grew stronger, not weaker.

If only… there could be a sign. He was independent in the way that he searched, but it would help if there were someone who could say you're looking in the wrong place.

"You're looking in the wrong place."

Literally, it seemed.

Ryo took to his feet and darted his eyes around the room.

"Who's there?"

For a moment, he'd thought the voice had belonged to Fubuki himself, but it didn't sound quite right.

"You're wasting your time dwelling here. You won't find him again in this place."

The voice still had no apparent owner.

"You've spent too much time at the source of the problem, he won't come back here for a long time. Though you won't get him back either way."

"I will get him back!" shouted Ryo, causing an echo throughout the hall.

The voice did not reply. The presence seemed to have left. And somehow, the room didn't quite feel as black as it had been before.

It was the next day before Ryo met with Asuka again. He didn't talk to her about what he'd seen, but he felt it was right to apologise to her for his stubbornness earlier.

"Asuka… I'm sorry for talking out of place," he said, as he reached where she was standing, still loyally waiting at the lighthouse despite the other day, "I know you are just as worried about him as I am, I just tend to forget that he means a lot to more than just me. And… I think you were right about the dorm he went missing from. Too much time has been wasted there."

She smiled at him, surprised that he'd come to terms with his issues so quickly. Most guys didn't ever stop to consider they were wrong.

"Apology accepted," she assured, "From now on we should probably just go there to pay our respects to him."

For a moment he frowned at this. Paying respects made it sound as though they were thinking he was dead. But no, it was possible to pay your respects to the living. So they would both pay their respects to Fubuki.


	39. Ran & Rose (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ran didn’t react very well to finding out about Ryo and Fubuki’s relationship. No one had expected her to.

It was a disaster!

The worst thing that could possibly happen had happened.

All that hard work that she'd put into this, everything she'd done had been for nothing.

How could he do this to her?

She loved him more than anyone!

Ran gritted her teeth, running a comb harshly through her long, thick hair. She was tugging too hard, so it hurt, but that felt like nothing to her compared with the agony she was feeling inside.

Her precious Ryo, the doll of the academia, was no longer hers for the taking.

She could have understood if it had been that Asuka girl, though she wouldn't have liked it anymore than she liked this. The King and Queen of the academia. Everyone had thought they would have been such a perfect couple last year. Hah! Everyone except for Ran.

Somehow it not being Asuka just made Ran hate the girl even more. Simply because she didn't have the excuse to hate Asuka that she'd had last year.

And as for that Rei girl… Oh, Ran had heard stories about her. Apparently last year she'd snuck onto the academia, trying tell Ryo that she loved him. And Ran respected her for being so forward, even if she would have had to crush the girl should Ryo have returned those feelings. But Rei then changed her mind and decided that Juudai from the Red Dorm was more suited to her. How fickle can you get?

That had lost Rei any points she'd scored with Ran. If it were Ran who'd got the chance to confess her feelings to Ryo, she wouldn't have backed down, even if he'd said no.

But no, it wasn't either of them two…

She'd had her doubts about Ryo, if she could admit in the darkest parts of herself, when he'd duelled in the graduation match against Juudai.

The way he'd spoken to Juudai before their final attack was a little… odd. But she'd not thought anything of it. If only she had, then this current crisis might have been averted.

But how dare he do that to her! How dare either of them do that!

She ground her teeth even more noisily as she thought of all those stupid girls who'd gone after Fubuki.

He was like a magnet to them, he was so charming and apparently that gave girls the impression that he was easy. Not as easy as they could have liked, it seemed.

For Fubuki would much rather be with her poor, beloved Ryo than with any of those girls.

A fist slammed against the table as Ran quivered with rage.

Rose on the other hand, just quivered with worry. She didn't understand why Ran had come to her about this.

"Perhaps it's not what it seems like," Rose offered, looking at her through those doe eyes she always had.

"Not what it seems like? Have you seen the pictures!" spat Ran.

"No, because nobody was suppose to have seen them," Rose said, "I'm sure however they got into that e-mail account, neither of those two would have wanted others to find out about it."

"Oh no, they set this up to sabotage me!" Ran shouted, "Or _he_ did anyway. I know my precious Ryo wouldn't do a thing like this to hurt me. Fubuki probably forced him into this. That's it!"

At this point, Rose thought it was probably a good idea to leave.

As she walked out, she looked up at her frog prince and commented, "She seems to get more deluded everyday, poor girl."


	40. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki confronts Ryo about why he didn’t turn up for Shou’s graduation and won’t leave with the shorthand answer.

"Nobody noticed you weren't there."

"Good, nobody was supposed to notice."

"But it's really not fair. _Everyone_ was there Ryo. And I mean everyone. All of those kids Juudai helped back in the first year, even they turned up to see the graduation, but you didn't."

"After all the students of Juudai's year had done for the academia, you can't really be surprised that so many would want to see them all receive their reward and start their paths into the duelling world."

"You're missing the point," Fubuki told him, frowning openly.

"If nobody noticed, then why are you asking about it?" Ryo was making it too obvious that he was dodging around the core of the question.

"Because I do notice people, whether you like it or not," answered Fubuki, coming to the conclusion that being direct was probably the best way to get answers, "But… you _have_ just been through a harsh operation, so I can understand that you may have not been well enough to attend."

Ryo gave him a look that suggested he was going to question if Fubuki wanted the truth or if Fubuki wanted the easy answer.

Considering that Fubuki wouldn't be content with answering his own question, he started to say, "That was part of the reason."

"And the rest of the reason?" He wasn't going to leave without it, Ryo was sure of that.

"The graduation meant so much to them all," Ryo sighed, not looking Fubuki in the eyes.

"That's why you should have been there! Imagine how Shou felt, his own brother not being there to see his graduation," Fubuki argued.

"He was happy with the graduation, he told me afterwards," Ryo said, fully prepared for that accusation, "My brother and I have come to terms with our differences. We did so before the graduation."

"What difference does that make? You still could have been there to see him out," continued Fubuki, not having any shorthand answers.

"It made all the difference in the world," Ryo muttered, "Do you not remember everything that I've done in the past few years?" When Fubuki nodded solemnly, he continued, "I lost all respect as a duellist. I went to Hell and through my own decisions, chose victory above all else. There were so many people hurt through those actions, including Shou and yourself. Saying the affair is in the past is naïve. Though we all have every intention to move on and better ourselves now, do you really think it would have been possible for Shou to look into the crowd and see me there without remembering all of that? That day was important for him, I wanted him to see the full potential he has without being burdened with the pains of the past for one day."

After that speech, Fubuki went silent. That was the truth, as he wanted it. Shooting any further questions at Ryo after such an answer would just be insulting.

Ryo was not one to break silences either, but for once, he noticed that Fubuki wasn't going to talk and took the chance to fill the gap himself.

"It would have made no difference if I had been there."

A mixed expression was on Fubuki's face as he answered, "It would have made a difference to me."

"The same reasons as I didn't go for Shou unfortunately apply to you, too," mumbled Ryo.

"Don't give me that," Fubuki told him, "Dwelling in the past is wrong, sure, but don't you remember when we were elites together? Back then we made a promise that we'd graduate alongside each other, and sure – we couldn't keep that promise, but when you graduated, I was so proud for you. When it was my turn to graduate, I thought you'd be there, too. That you'd be proud of my achievements."

"I am proud," Ryo said, but the whole confession knocked him back a peg, "But we have gone separate ways now…"

"It still would have made a difference. The whole academia might not have noticed you weren't there, but I did," Fubuki said certainly, "You can rely on people always forgetting you, but I never will. The difference is I remember the good things you did as well as the mistakes you made."

They both stopped talking once more, reflecting on what each of them had said to the other. Then Ryo made to wheel his chair away.

Fubuki got to his feet, asking, "Where do you think you're going?"

"The past is not something to dwell on," Ryo insisted, looking to meet Fubuki's gaze, "If you are determined not to forget me, then I want to give you something new to not forget. So our relationship will not simply be memories."

A small smile graced Fubuki's lips, as he stood, moving to help Ryo with the wheelchair.

"I'm all for that, but are you sure you'll be able to get out of hospital without the staff seeing that you're gone?"

Now it was Ryo's turn to smirk.

"Nobody will notice."


	41. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki was not recognised as being obsessive, but to some he truly was.

Nobody labelled Fubuki Tenjoin as being obsessive.

That was probably because nobody thought about it hard enough. Fubuki had this air around him that assured people 'what you see is what you get', so in general, others didn't stop long enough to consider how he behaved. As long as people knew you were all right, they wouldn't dwell on you too much. That was Fubuki's logic, and it seemed to work.

But when you got down to it, Fubuki was obsessive.

If something took his interest, he'd grab onto it like a madman. It only took stepping back a few paces and looking at him from the outside to see that.

Fubuki surfed constantly. He was at the beach at 6:30am every morning and if you didn't see him for the rest of the day, you could guess that he was surfing. He'd even started to expand into other water sports as of late.

There was logic about this. Sometimes Fubuki didn't particularly want to talk to anyone, but his social persona wouldn't allow him to simply say that he didn't feel up to conversation today. So being out in the water was an ideal way to get some time away without hurting anyone's feelings. For the most part though, he just loved surfing. He loved the feeling of pushing his physical being to its maximum capability. He loved having to twist and turn to keep the perfect motion and stop himself falling off. He was obsessed.

Surfing wasn't the only thing he was obsessed with either, far from it. Fubuki was also a lover of music. Ever since he'd been old enough to turn on a radio, he'd loved listening to music, and found this love focused a lot around the instruments that were played. Popular music featured a lot of electric guitars, and people thought this was a firm fixture in the image of 'cool', but Fubuki was a person who wanted to entertain others foremost. So when he'd convinced his mother to take him to an instrument shop, the first thing he'd bought was a ukulele. Because the ukulele made people happy.

And he practised so much. It was weeks before he came down from his room, insisting upon playing the ukulele for anyone who happened to pass through the Tenjoin house. Of course, when he was getting ready to go to Duel Academia, the ukulele was one of the first items to be packed and saw a lot of use there. People got to know the image of that boy running around with his ukulele, wearing his Hawaiian shirt. He thought the shirt had been a bargain, as it truly fixed the beach boy appeal into people's minds.

Fubuki's third and most frowned upon obsession was the love magician. This being one of the many titles he adopted for himself. The origin of the habit he had yet to disclose to anyone, but people knew that Fubuki prided himself in being the one to help anyone at all out in their love life. He was the master of romance and there wasn't a hidden crush or interesting affair on the whole island that he didn't know about.

This obsession received a mixed response from others. The girls loved Fubuki, and there was hardly a moment of the day when he wasn't being followed by flocks of female admirers. Even the boys looked up to him, for if anyone could help them with their failed love lives, it was Fubuki.

Yet… some people disproved. Unfortunately for Fubuki, it was often those that mattered who did. His sister, Asuka, and his closest friend, Ryo, were both on the straight and narrow paths, so neither of them agreed with poaching around the business of others and using shallow gestures to catch the attention of a crush. However, they did not deter Fubuki from his obsession. He reasoned with himself that if they were to accept him, they would accept him for who he was, thus he should continue to be himself.

It just so happened that Ryo and Asuka were the only people who knew how obsessive he truly was. They could stand back long enough to look at him from the outside and see the mask. He was admittedly a little worried because of this. His charms wouldn't ever work on them and being directly honest wasn't as easy as he'd like it to be.

He had begun to show some honesty in his fourth obsession, however. At least to Ryo. Because there wasn't much time left. The days until the end of the school year were ticking closer and closer, so if he didn't act now he didn't know how long he'd have to wait until he next could. If he could at all. Fubuki was not one to pretend he saw the future set in stone.

To his surprise, Ryo had accepted it. And somehow, it seemed to break more barriers between the two than create them.

Ryo was prepared for the outcome, as he knew even in romance, Fubuki would be as obsessive as he was with the rest of his life. He didn't kiss softly, when Fubuki kissed it had to have his soul in it, otherwise it was just meaningless. He didn't do anything else softly, either. And for whatever reason, this comforted Ryo. It let him know that Fubuki was genuine. For the day he stopped putting effort into it would be the day this obsession died.

Luckily, Fubuki's obsessions were long lived.

The whole affair between Fubuki and Ryo lasted right up until the graduation match. And right up until then, nobody besides the two of them were aware of it. The fact that Fubuki was able to keep such a secret amazed Ryo, but upon reflection, he realised that Fubuki never really spoke of his relationships save for bragging rights about the girls he'd picked up. So it was more than possible that the boy had been in other relationships before and just wasn't talking about it.

On their last day together, their last night, Fubuki showed signs of reluctance to let him go. Ryo was an obsession. His ukulele wasn't graduating and going away, so why did Ryo have to?

But when he was asked about it, Fubuki shook his head.

"We all have to go through tests of our character," he said, though not looking Ryo in the eye, "You're about to go off into the world and make a name for yourself. It's time for changes. And I have to grow, too. So when you're out there, don't think about this – don't think of yourself as belonging to me, because you never have done and you never will do. You're a free agent, Ryo, enjoy yourself."

He did not get a verbal answer to this. They both knew it was true, but it seemed too harsh for Ryo to put it into words. Things would change; even obsessions need to be lost.

For the first time, Fubuki willingly let an obsession leave him.


	42. Fubuki & Edo (feat. Ryo/Fubuki and Ryo/Edo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki calls and Edo owes him no favours, but somehow they can’t stop themselves when it comes to Ryo.

"How do you even know that I know his number? Or better yet, how do you even know _my_ number?"

Edo was just edging out of holding the phone at arm's length, the other seemed to have stopped shouting and calmed down.

"Oh, that was easy, Juudai gave me yours," replied Fubuki.

A mental note was made to change his number and not give the new number to Juudai. That boy was too cheerful to think twice about handing out details like that to just anyone who happened to ask.

"You should ask him for the other one, then," argued Edo, feeling disgruntled.

"Ryo hardly gave his number to anyone…" came the crackled voice of Fubuki.

"Not even his best friend?" The sudden silence said to Edo that he'd hit a sore spot.

"Former best friend. Now are you going to give me the number or not?" aggravation crept into Fubuki's tone.

Leaning back on the chair he was sitting in, Edo answered, "I don't see why I should."

"You owe me a favour!" shot Fubuki.

"What favour would that be?" asked Edo, racking his brain to try and remember.

There was a pause at the other end. This was a huge setback on Fubuki's part. Usually he would tell people they owed him favours and they'd just believe him. Nobody ever questioned what the favours were that they owed, they just all accepted that somewhere down the line, Fubuki had done something for them and now they owed him something in return.

After the paused lengthened, Edo prompted, "Well?"

A sigh.

"Do this and I'll owe _you_ a favour, all right?" said Fubuki in a defeated tone.

"What sort of favour would I possibly ask you for?" as Edo replied; the laugh was hardly concealed. He didn't even try.

"Ever have any trouble with your love life?" asked Fubuki, hopefully.

"I'm Edo Phoenix."

"Good point," said Fubuki, tapping a side table thoughtfully, "Well, if you ever want to make a guest appearance on my TV show when I'm famous, consider it done."

"I have more class than that," Edo debated, but seeing this was getting nowhere, he went on, "But regardless, why would you want it so bad?"

"I didn't call to give you my life story," Fubuki answered.

"And I'm not here for the good of my health. There are other things to do around here, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be going." Tormenting the older boy was more fun than it should be.

"Fine, if you really want to know, I just want to talk to him. He's been in a bad way recently and it seems like a good time to try and fix what we lost," admitted Fubuki.

"Your friendship?"

"Among other things…" trailed off Fubuki.

That really hit home to Edo. The mentioned 'other things' didn't need elaborated on, as somehow, he just knew. Even though neither of them had ever mentioned it. He'd not spoken so much as a few words to Fubuki before today and despite having walked the Dark World with Ryo, the boy hadn't divulged so much as a word about himself. He was annoyingly secretive. Regardless, there was something of an unspoken air around Ryo and Fubuki.

He tried not to let it sting too much.

"You're just unlucky that I don't know it," Edo said, maliciously.

"You do! If you didn't, you would have told be straight away, so I'd stop bothering you," said Fubuki, aware of how he could use his annoying traits to get people to talk.

Scowling at the phone, though Fubuki couldn't see it, Edo replied, "I don't need to do enough of a favour for you so that you can find your precious friend and live happily ever after."

"I thought you might say that," Fubuki tone was too level for the accusation that had been made, "You have every right not to tell me. All's fair in love and war, so they say."

"Love?" So Fubuki actually acknowledged it. The times that Edo had trailed around, following Ryo's footsteps, only to be ignored by Ryo, and now his 'rival' for Ryo was the one who noticed it. That was a nuisance.

"You like him, too," Fubuki said, "You're worried that I might take him from you and you've got every right not to help me out in finding him. But just know that there's been nothing between Ryo and myself for years."

"And if you found him again?" asked Edo, his pulse quickening.

"I would like there to be more," Fubuki answered, truthfully.

So there it was. This boy had rung asking for Ryo's number and if Edo gave that to him, there was a chance that Fubuki and Ryo might get together. And Edo would lose any chance he had.

He did have the number too, but only for work. If it hadn't been for them both being Pro League duellists, he probably wouldn't have it at all. Fubuki was right about Ryo not readily handing out methods to contact him. Since it was a work number, there was no guarantee that Ryo would even answer, but it was the only chance Fubuki had.

…Edo had, rather.

Yet… all was _fair_ in love and war. The fair part of that sentence was often forgotten. Fubuki had as much of a shot at Ryo as Edo did.

"You can have the number," said Edo, after much conflict with himself. He'd opened the book on Ryo's number while they'd been talking anyway; "But just remember that you owe me a lot of this."

"Favours are something I'm good at," assured Fubuki.

Their game had just started.


	43. Darkness (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness considers his choices of opponents as he arrives on Duel Academia. Juudai or Ryo?

The objective of the mission was a painfully simple one: take the keys and open the gate that led to the cards Kagemaru wanted.

Why it had been made to seem like such a hassle was beyond Darkness, especially when the keys were entrusted to a group that mostly consisted of children to guard them. With such an easy selection of opponents, it almost seemed pointless that Kagemaru had gone to the effort of putting together the Seven Stars, each member had not been easy to get a hold of.

But regardless, Darkness was willing to go along with this for now. If only giving him a body as a host, this mission would benefit for him. And if it went his way, he might even benefit from some Sacred Beasts at the end of it.

And so when it came to choosing who should go to retrieve the keys, Darkness went first. He would be the only one that was needed; so getting started sooner would save a lot of time in the long run.

He chose his opponent effortlessly – the one known as Juudai Yuki. This boy had more of a weakness than the others did; he had a close attachment to persons that Darkness considered to be weaker than Juudai himself. This sort of person, people like Juudai, always turned up in the world. And through their attachments to those who were weak, dragging down those weak pillars would also drag down the person themselves.

A simple enough method for an easy result. Darkness almost wanted it to be more complicated than it was.

The volcano was the place he felt most comfortable working from, it suited his needs so much and not many people visited active volcanoes. Or at least not usually, anyway. That theory didn't last long in an environment where people lived with an active volcano daily. Familiarity is the worse enemy of fear – people weren't scared of something they saw so often. That could work either way. Added to the mix that these were teenagers, of the general mindset that putting up tape around somewhere that said 'Do not cross this line' in some format translated to 'Come here for a fun time', and he really didn't have too much privacy during the day at all.

Thankfully, the unused Blue Dorm was still more popular with thrill seekers than the volcano was, so Darkness could at least count on being able to stay at the volcano during the night without too many hanging around.

But as his eyes trailed along the path a new visitor was walking, he thought that this teenager might not be like the others.

You could tell a lot about a person from the way they walked. The kids who came here for fun were always looking around nervously as they walked, either out of worry they would be caught or the hope that someone was giving them the attention they wanted. This boy did not walk like that. He walked tall; looking confidently in front of him, as if he knew that he had every right to be here. That kind of person Darkness knew, too, that kind of person had drive.

For whatever reason this boy had to walk the volcano ledges with such confidence, he was of no interest to Darkness. At least not until he saw the key the boy was wearing. So he was one of those children chosen by the delusional principal, then? At some point, Darkness would have to pay attention to him.

He edged the host body forward, getting a closer look at this person. The only notable trait he found was that he was wearing a uniform almost identical to the one that the boy Fubuki had worn before Darkness took him on. Of the times Darkness had seen the students here, he knew that the white coloured uniform was not common amongst the males. That could be read as being that this boy was a good duellist. So he would not be easy to take down.

Even with easy targets, Darkness preferred having a strategy planned to take them down, so tackling such a strong duellist early on was probably not advisable.

He noticed the boy's face as the other looked around, piercing the volcano with his harsh stare, as if encouraging something to attack him. If only he knew of Darkness, he may not have been so confident in demanding for attack...

And that face had an impact of Darkness's host.

He hadn't seen it coming, but for that fraction of a second, when the elite student's face was visible, Fubuki's heart rate had jumped.

He delved into the boy's mind, looking through his memories to see what could awaken even such a small conscious response when Darkness was supposed to have full control. It did not take long to find memories of this person, through the name of "Ryo" that the host referred to him as. It seemed this person meant a lot to Fubuki.

A weakness was found.

Darkness could use this closeness to break down a barrier in the stronger duellist's defences as he planned to with Juudai. Perhaps he should even strike now, while the boy was on his own...

Ryo was not alone for long though, as a small figure came running up to him, a lot more scared of being on the volcano from what his body movements were implying. As the little figure spoke to Ryo for a few moments, Darkness came to recognise him, too – it was one of the two that Darkness intended to take hostage for his duel against Juudai.

He listened, and heard the child refer to Ryo as his brother. One key holder's brother and another's best friend? Hurting this person would do more to weaken them than he had counted on.

Perhaps he would go through with his original plan after all, choosing Juudai Yuki first and leaving the Ryo student until later. He could cause more damage that way.

So without ever realising it, Ryo made an escape from Darkness.


	44. Fubuki (feat. Ryo/Fubuki; various)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell Kaiser Ryo came from the underground. To understand him was to go to the Hell of that place and go through what had happened so many years before.

He shouldn't be here at all.

This was all in the past now, and everyone had moved on from it. So much so that bringing it up in a conversation could be disastrous and the reasons behind that were most certainly justified.

But part of him wanted to know the why.

Part of him was a fool, and that fool would not be satisfied until he knew why what had happened had happened.

He understood the desperation. He understood the need to find anything that would stop others from laughing. He understood pride.

But there had to have been other ways besides this. Something about this had been so good that he'd not stopped. Even if only briefly, he wanted to see what it was about this that had kept him going.

…Then he was shutting this place down.

It wasn't legal and he had every right to stop it. If only to prevent others from walking down the path that led there… the path that led to Hell.

This was the land of underground duels.

The place wasn't easy to find, either; he'd had to travel to the slums of the city to get here. But then, he figured it would have been shut down a long time ago if it had been convenient to get to. The inside hadn't been what he'd been expecting it to be like, either. It was shady, sure, but it wasn't nearly grungy enough for this area. The visitors all sat around tables, wearing classy clothes and masks to match. They couldn't show their faces because of the risk of being found at a place like this, but you didn't need to see the face to know the type – they were aristocrats, people who walked the high road by day, but wanted nothing more than to be entertained at the expense of others by night. They were the lowest of the low.

And they were here to see him suffer. Or that was what they thought… But he wasn't young or naïve.

As he walked up towards the arena, they uttered insults at him. Amongst them he heard the term "Pro League Dog" more than once. Figures that would be a common insult here… But Pro League duellists were better than these people. They had respect.

The "arena" of such was inside of a cage. It was almost cliché and had he not been taking this situation extremely seriously, he would have rolled his eyes. What sort of people thought this was entertaining? He looked up at the audience to remind himself of exactly what sort.

Once both him and his opponent were inside the next part came. He'd been expecting this – the shock collars. The tools that educated their victims about victory being the only thing that mattered in duels, and that all defeat brought was suffering.

There was no way he'd fall for that lesson, though. After experiencing first hand the effects that the lessons those collars taught had on other people. He was not fool enough to go there, at least.

When the collars were set in place, he got a good look at his opponent. This man was a waste. Though he was rippling with muscles that must have once looked impressive, they now looked worn and ragged. His eyes weren't that of a sane being, they were desperate and hungry. He'd not seen victory for a long time and now it was all that he wanted.

There was even a hint of spittle hanging around this muscular opponent's lips, he noted with some disgust.

"Do you like him?" came the oily voice of the man behind these games as he approached, "Some years ago, this man was once the champion of this circuit. But he suffered defeat and has since stood as an example as to why losing is not an option here."

He gritted his teeth before replying, "Don't bother your speech with me. I'm here once to see how this works, then I'm never setting foot in this place again."

"They all say that to start with," laughed Monkey, "Nobody comes here by choice, but when the addictions sets in, they don't leave for a long time to come."

"I came here by choice, and I'll leave by choice, too," he insisted.

There was a dismissive breathing out, and then he heard Monkey's footsteps walk away with some aggravation. Which was good, he would not have that corruptive man talk to him.

He shouldn't even be here… Maybe he should have come earlier but it seemed redundant now. Hell Kaiser Ryo had admitted his mistakes as much as he'd accepted them. He had outgrown this place long ago and would never forgive being reminded of it.

But when it came down to it, this was the origin of the new Kaiser. And if anyone ever wanted to understand the changes that had happened, they first needed to understand this place.

Reminding himself this strengthened his resolve that he did want to understand Ryo that much.

So the announcer called out for this duel, of Mad Dog Inukai versus Fubuki Tenjoin.


	45. Ryo & Samejima (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo didn’t have many people to turn to for advice, but Samejima would always be willing to provide advice for him where he could.

He was known as the top ranking student at Duel Academia, or one of them, at any rate, but for all Ryo knew he was intelligent, he also knew he was not perfect. He knew well the limits of his abilities, and one of those major setbacks included social confrontations.

"Conversations", they were called, but he preferred to view them as a confrontations. The reason being that he found talking to other people so difficult. He envied those who could just talk away for hours, as if it was second nature to them, while he was quiet by default and felt plain awkward talking to others. Anything he was thinking tended to either stay in his head or be put on the exam paper in front of him. Other people had a habit of becoming confused when Ryo tried to say what was on his mind. That and not a lot of people seemed interested in the sort of things Ryo enjoyed thinking about.

For the most part, this was not an issue. At Duel Academia, students were graded on their academic ability, not their conversing skills. If anything, the latter only seemed to demote you in the eyes of lecturers if you were caught doing it in class. Only Fubuki seemed able to get away with talking in class, and that was only because his work was as flawless as his conversations were. But even in an education facility, there comes a point where being bad at talking becomes problematic.

So, there was Ryo in need of advice. Ryo, who was known for being the smartest student in the academia, didn't really have many options of people to turn to for advice. Ryo, who didn't mix well and therefore didn't have too many friends, didn't really have many options of people to turn to for advice either.

There was Fubuki, but, as always, he was part of the problem and not the solution.

On the entire island, there was one person he trusted enough to talk to, though a subject like this was somewhat embarrassing to discuss with anyone at all, let alone someone who was probably more than twice your age. But then, it wasn't as if Ryo didn't go to this person's office everyday, anyway.

It was almost a ritual. Each morning before class, Ryo would go to the principal's office and tell him of anything that was going on at the academia that may be of interest. He may not have been good at talking, but Ryo did hear a lot and Fubuki confided a lot of gossip to Ryo, it was just up to Ryo to pick out the parts that were relevant. Not that he would ever incriminate the other students, because if he had mentioned half of the things Fubuki told him, then Fubuki would have been expelled a long time ago, but principal Samejima tended to take a general interest in what the students thought of lessons and card tactics. It was no trouble to Ryo to tell him these things.

That may sound like an odd relationship for a student, even a model student, to have with a principal. But the connection between the two went years back. As before he had become the principal of the academia, Samejima ran the Cyber Style dojo. When he was a child, Ryo had been his most gifted student and was entrusted with the Cyber End Dragon. It surprised Samejima that someone so young would take such a keen interest in the study, as the dojo was based in a mountain, far away from civilisation, and there was no one else there of Ryo's age for him to talk to. But it didn't take long to see just how devoted Ryo was to his studies. And when Samejima was approached about becoming the principal of Duel Academia, he knew that Ryo would be an ideal student to go there.

That brought him to the current day, when Ryo was standing before his desk ready to give him the daily news before going to class. Only, there was something different today.

When you've known someone so long, you didn't need them to talk to you to be able to tell when something was on their mind. Mannerisms gave them away. So it was easy for Samejima to tell from the frown on Ryo's face and the slight way he kept glancing out of the window, that there was something wrong with the boy.

"Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" he asked, as Ryo finished reeling off the sort of information he usually told Samejima.

"No," Ryo replied, expression still blank. Then, after a moment of Samejima watching him with that vague, inquiring smile, ryo looked down and said, "Actually, there is."

"By all means, feel free to tell me what's on your mind," Samejima told him. The two of them had always been too formal with each other, but the principal would have liked for Ryo to be more open with him about his problems.

"It's… not particularly a subject that I feel able to discuss, without any offence meant," Ryo said.

Shaking his head a little, Samejima retorted, "I'm as human as you are Ryo. If it's embarrassing, then I've had as much experience with that as anyone else."

"Yes but this is about roma- …" Ryo cut himself off before he could finish.

"Romance?" Samejima laughed light-heartedly, highly doubting that Ryo wanted to ask him about the more historical subject of Romans, "You think I know nothing of romance."

There was no response this time, but the answer was clear. In truth, Ryo even asking him about the subject surprised Samejima more than anything else. All the time he'd known the boy, not once had Ryo expressed interest in the opposite gender.

"I'll have you know I was quite the romantic when I was younger." Samejima had heard that quote somewhere before, and was amused to see that, even though he tried to hide it, there was a hint of the sort of distain that children had when their parents started to talk about such things visible in Ryo's eyes.

"Well, I don't doubt… but this is… different," mumbled Ryo, not sure that getting Samejima onto the subject had been a good idea at all.

"Girls don't change through the years, Ryo," Samejima said sagely, "They always value heartfelt gestures and gifts."

"The, um, girl that I'm looking for gets a lot of heartfelt gestures and gifts already," Ryo said with certainty, "I want to be different, so it doesn't feel fake."

"Does the way you feel about her seem fake to you?" Samejima said, seriously.

"Not at all, but…"

"No buts, that is all that matters. If you are more genuine than the other suitors, then she will put you before them," advised the principal, "She'd be lucky to have you, I'm sure." In his own mind, he added, hopefully she'll be good at talking too, because it'll be hard pressed getting conversation out of Ryo.

There was a small nod from Ryo, a sign that this answer was acceptable to him.

"Thank you sir, that really will be helpful," said Ryo, in a tone that suggested he didn't want to talk further on the subject.

"Is there anything else you want to talk about before going to class?" Samejima said.

After a brief pause, Ryo shook his head and replied, "No, that's all. Thank you." They bid each other farewell and he turned to leave.

It was probably not a good idea to tell Samejima that his attraction was not to a girl, but to a boy. A boy called Fubuki, who happened to be much better at conversation than Ryo was. And also happened to be waiting impatiently down the corridor for Ryo so they could go to class.

He passed Tome in the hallway while walking towards him, but didn't pay much attention to her other than saying hello.

The stout woman walked into Samejima's office, bringing him his morning sandwich as she'd got into the habit of doing each day. If someone didn't look after that man, he'd work himself to death.

"Your meeting went well?" she asked cheerfully, referring to his talk with Ryo.

"Yes, quite well," he answered distractedly, "He wanted to ask me about his love life, would you believe?"

"That'll be some lucky lady who gets him," Tome answered, "He's supposed to be the best-looking boy in school, save for the Tenjoin boy."

"Not a girl as such," said Samejima, who laughed a little as Tome looked at him with confusion, "He thinks I don't know him well enough, but I know him better than he realises. I'm just glad he's being honest with himself."

Samejima would always give Ryo advice if he wanted it. But to save Ryo's dignity, he would also always pretend to be the absentminded old man.


	46. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo decides to take up gardening. No, really.

Gardening was one of those subjects they didn't teach at Duel Academia. Which shouldn't be too surprising, since it is a school for learning how to duel; but when you considered that other subjects that get taught there included alchemy and curry making, gardening wouldn't be too out of place.

But then, the alchemy and curry was more because Daitokuji and Kabayama felt like it than because those subjects should've been on the actual curriculum.

Regardless of whether or not gardening was taught in class, each dorm did have something that could vaguely be called a garden. Or at least a small patch of grass. Depending on which dorm it was depended greatly on how much grass.

The Red students, for example, had what could mostly be called dirt. There was some grass here and there, but nothing to phone home about. Where the ground was completely barren, some rough lines of a duel arena had been painted to make it look vaguely more interesting, but the overall impression of the dorm's exterior spread the message that this was a place where people who didn't have much money could come and not have much money together. It went well with the interior of the dorm from that point of view.

Progressing up in the world was the garden of Ra Yellow. It was neat, well kept, sensible and with no trimmings. It was the sort of garden that had a lot of work done to it, but really went unnoticed by the general public except as something to walk across. Much like the poor Yellow students themselves.

The girls of Obelisk Blue were in a completely different league to them both. Their garden could win awards – it was tucked away behind pretty hedgerows with light coloured flowers blooming during the summer, and just beyond it there was even a lake. If an enquiring inspector were to ask about the state of the grounds, this would be the garden that they'd be shown.

However, the Obelisk Blue section of the academia was split into two dorms, with the boys living separately from the girls. The area outside of the dorm that the boys lived in may not have been as abandoned as that of the Osiris Reds, but it still wasn't up to the great standards of their female counterparts. Luckily for them, the Obelisk Blue boys' dorm itself was so large and impressive that people who came there weren't looking for flowers.

Ryo Marufuji, one of the elite students of Obelisk Blue, was reflecting upon this as he looked down at the grounds from the balcony of his room. As the other elite student, Fubuki, joined him, he voiced his thoughts.

"Does anyone actually look after the gardens here?" he asked, as Fubuki usually knew who was doing what in general.

"I'd think so," said Fubuki, shrugging, "The grounds are huge; they couldn't be kept in much shape if they didn't employ anyone to look after them."

Doubtfully, Ryo replied, "But you never actually see anyone working on them, do you? And last I heard, Samejima hasn't even managed to replace Daitokuji yet, so I'm sure a few missing gardeners would be the last thing on his mind."

"I think I saw a Yellow student with a lawnmower once," Fubuki commented, after a few moments reflection, "But then, he may have just been crazy."

"Possibly not so crazy…" mumbled Ryo. It would make sense after all, if it were down to the students to look after their own grounds. It would explain why the Red dorm, filled with students known for shunning work, had an unkempt ground, why the Yellow dorm, with it's sensible workers, had a ground that was looked after and inoffensive, and why the Obelisk Blue girls had a garden that looked as if it had been pulled from a magazine. And why…

"Don't do anything," yawned Fubuki, causing Ryo to start, "I know that face, but it's not as if it's your problem anymore. You'll be graduating in a few weeks and then it's not likely you'll see the dorm ever again."

Even so, it had been his home for all of three years, and for all that time, he'd never stopped to think about it. He felt like a child moving out of home for the first time and suddenly realising that all the while there had been someone doing the laundry for him, but as long as it was done, it hadn't mattered who was doing it, and now…

He felt ashamed somehow. Though he decided not to tell this to Fubuki, because it would just make the other boy think he was worrying pointlessly. Perhaps he was graduating in a short while, but Ryo was not one to shun responsibility.

The next day he reviewed his timetable and found he had two free periods next to each other. Of course, he'd had those periods every week, but he'd consumed them with so much extra studying that they didn't really feel like they were free. He could use that time to do some work in the garden. There wasn't a chance it could be as fancy as the garden the girls' had in such a short amount of time, but he could at least make it look presentable.

After much searching, he did uncover a small shed, hidden around the back of the Blue dorm, invisible because of how large the building was. But thankfully it seemed as if other people were aware of it's existence, as the path was recently cleared and the way things were set inside suggested that items had been moved around a lot.

More than anything, it seemed that a lawnmower had been pulled out and put back in several times. As a result of which, the grass didn't need cut. Though Ryo figured that the only reason this lawnmower had been used so much was because it was an electric one that you rode on. Some of the less responsible students would probably use it just for fun. Anything that involved any actual effort to use was tucked away in the back of the shed, where it could easily be forgotten about.

A short rummage through this pile retrieved a trowel, a spade and various other digging utensils. Gathering these up, Ryo then moved over to another storage space where the grass seeds were kept. Along with those there were also other sorts of seeds and bulbs that must have been left there for anyone who wanted to plant them, but had been shoved to aside hastily. Whoever was looking after the gardens had obviously decided that flowers were not manly enough for the boys' dorm.

Ryo saw what they meant, it wasn't as if he wanted to surround the dorm with flora or anything, but the grounds could use a little something more to help them stand out as part of the dorm as opposed to just something the dorm was resting on. With his limited knowledge of bulbs, he picked out some of the more promising looking ones and headed out of the shed.

He found an obscure patch of earth around the side. Part of him still felt too embarrassed to be seen doing garden work around the front, so this sheltered area away from sight would be ideal to work in.

At first he started with some simple bulbs, and after working at the ground for a while with the trowel, planted them effortlessly. Once he'd done a whole row, he was starting to enjoy himself, this really was quite the stress reliever after all.

With his newfound confidence, he got more ambitious, even heading back to the shed to find some small trees that someone had left there to plant. They looked as if they were about ready to go outside, so he took them around to the patch he was working on.

The trowel would be no good for this though.

Bigger plants needed bigger holes, so Ryo took to the spade and started digging. It took considerably longer, so Ryo's mind wandered. He did have exams coming up so this recent clearing of mind had gave him time to run what he knew through his head to help him revise.

By the time he was finished, he'd have got through the whole development of monster levels in relation to attack power!

…Which turned out to be a bit of a problem.

Because the subject was quite vast and took some time to mull over. And apparently the time schedule between his thought processes and digging the hole hadn't been as evenly matched as he'd thought they had been.

As a result of which, he was now standing in a hole that was not only too big to fit the sapling in, but was also over half the height of Ryo himself.

To top things off, it had started to rain.

Cursing his absentmindedness, he started to pull himself out of the hole, but the dirt had turned to mud and was difficult to grip.

"This might be a setback to attending fourth period…" he muttered to himself.

"I'd be more worried about fifth period, if I were you," came a smugly innocent voice from outside of the hole.

Ryo looked up to see the smiling face of Fubuki looking down at him, leaning on his arms despite the mud.

"Fourth period sort of went past you. And here I thought you couldn't miss a class," Fubuki went on, reaching his hands down to help Ryo out, "You're lucky I remembered what you were babbling on about the other day."

Ryo couldn't bring himself to talk, not making eye contact with the other until he was out of the hole, sitting on the side as Fubuki admired the handiwork.

"What were you planning to put in there?" Fubuki asked curiously, and Ryo pointed over to the sapling that was propped up against the wall, now drooping over with the weight of the water.

"I really don't think that would go in there, unless you taught it how to swim," said Fubuki, always one to rub in the obvious, "But at the rate that hole's filling up with water, you could always make it a temporary summer home for some fish or crabs."

Ryo nodded, mutely.

"It wasn't a bad effort though," Fubuki said, feeling as though he should offer some condolence, "If you hadn't got carried away and it wasn't due to rain today, it would have turned out all right."

"I've made a decision," Ryo said suddenly, getting to his feet.

"What's that now?" Fubuki smirked, going to follow him.

With absolute certainty, Ryo replied, "When I move to Domino, my first house is going to be an apartment. It's going to be high off the ground and it will definitely not have a garden outside of it."

Balconies were something he felt he could manage.


	47. Rei & Fubuki (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei needed inspiration to help her find what sort of photos she’d be taking for the graduation album, and there was one camera-happy boy who could help her.

There was precious little time before the current third year students graduated and moved on into the world of duelling. In light of this, everyone was rushing around, busy doing one thing or another.

This frantic preparing was not limited to the third year students. As a member of the graduation album committee, it was Rei's role to take photos of all the third year students before they graduated.

She was a first year, so it would seem odd to anyone who didn't know her that she would be involved in preparing photographs for students two years her senior. But the current third year class was special to Rei. They had done a lot during the time they had been at the academia, and had even saved her life once. So with the group all busy preparing for their graduation, Rei and another friend of the third year's, Kenzan, happily took up the task of trying to catch them all on camera.

She credited herself that she wasn't a particularly bad photographer, though it hadn't been something she'd tried much before. But she found that she still needed some inspiration as to how to go about this task.

Yearbooks were often such dull things. Showing smiling mug shots of each member of the class against a fake sky background, so that years later they could be pulled off a shelf by some former student who was now married with kids, who would go, "Oh, that was the person who dumped me at the school dance. I remember now!" It was so bland.

Rei didn't want the yearbook she was making to be like that at all. She wanted to have photos of students how they really were, capturing them in surprise while working or playing, so that when the album was looked back on years later, the person could remember _why_ their friends had been so great back then.

But photographing people like that wouldn't be easy. Since she had nothing to go on, she'd requested to look at some of the previous graduation albums produced by students, and Samejima had been happy to let her look through them. The results weren't at all helpful though, as each year seemed to have the same old formula that had been used countless times before.

As she was considering calling quits and just arranging a planned photo shoot for the whole year, a knock came at the door.

"Come in," she called, wondering if they'd managed to dig out more old albums to show her.

The door was flung open, and in walked the flamboyant student, Fubuki Tenjoin, his arms filled with books and a wide grin on his face.

Rei knew Fubuki as a student who had been held back for a few reasons, but was graduating this year. And that was about all she knew of him. They were both part of Juudai's group of friends, but outside of that, they had never particularly spoken much to each other.

Nevertheless, he had always seemed like a nice enough person and Rei was polite to him.

"Thank you for bringing those yearbooks," she said, "If you put them over there, I'll get to them in a moment."

"Yearbooks?" Fubuki clutched the pile close to his chest as if he was protecting a small child, "These are not yearbooks, they are inspiration!"

"Um… what?"

It was true that Rei wouldn't be winning 'Comeback of the Year' with a response like that, but Fubuki had a habit of leaving those he spoke to confused and unsure what was coming next.

"My information has confirmed to me that you are part of the graduation album committee and will be taking original photos of students not like the boring ones we usually get," he proclaimed loudly. Apparently Samejima liked to talk about requests made by student,s it seemed, "And I'm sure you've found no luck using those other books for reference."

She nodded, hoping that he was going somewhere with this.

"You are most fortunate that I happen to be experienced in the art of taking photos of people while they're not expecting it, and have brought some samples of my work for you to use as reference," he said, now choosing to let go of what he was carrying, dumping the books down on the table.

"That's wonderful!" Rei shouted, getting up to check the new arrivals. Now that she thought about it, she had seen Fubuki around with a camera on more than one occasion.

She got straight to work flicking through the pile. Most were of students she was unfamiliar with, but that really didn't matter. What mattered was that these were exactly the sort of photos she wanted to use: the people were acting naturally, doing whatever they loved, some were in shock of the camera and some didn't notice it was there, but none of the pictures were unflattering. They showed the students how they were.

As she worked through, Fubuki rested his head on his hands, still smiling, and said, "I would have loved to have done a graduation album. Though with things being as they are, I don't have the time… But! I'm glad that someone is doing one as it should be done."

She was too engrossed in the book to give more than a nod's response, but her hand froze in mid-turning of the page as she saw one face on a photo out of the corner of her eye.

Ryo Marufuji.

It was in the past now, but it was still common knowledge that Rei had a huge crush upon him when she was younger, and had pursued him to the academia before finally giving up on him following some advice from both him and Asuka.

She was over him now, and was sure her love lied with Juudai, but seeing pictures of him as he was back then still made her heart jump. You didn't forget your first crush.

The pause was long enough for Fubuki to look over at the album and see where her gaze was caught.

"Oh, Ryo? I have lots more photos of him," he said, pulling another album out from further down the pile.

As he opened it this one, seemed more personal than the random shots he had taken of students. The people in it were of a narrower selection, so this book was probably of Fubuki's own friends from a few years ago. Ryo turned up in it a lot.

Looking through these photos it was easy to see how different this Ryo was from the Ryo she'd known. Rei had met Ryo as an opponent, who had defeated her respectfully. He was a tall, stoic figure who didn't divulge much about himself. Part of this mysterious charm had been why Rei found herself attracted to him in the first place.

This Ryo wasn't like that, though. He wasn't the silent figure, ready to duel, that she had seen. This was Ryo at casual moments. He still looked formal and often puzzled at Fubuki's antics, but he was a lot more approachable-looking. On some of them he was even smiling. And on one she swore that expression could have been a laugh.

A small pang of jealousy rose up inside her. She shouldn't feel that way, because it wasn't Ryo that she loved now and even if it was, she knew they weren't truly compatible, but seeing Fubuki being so close to him made her wish she could have gotten to known him like that. That it could have been her he was smiling at, her jokes he was laughing at… She'd never see Ryo like that.

"You two were close," she commented, to try and get some grasp back on reality.

"We were. Best friends back in the day, Ryo and I," Fubuki told her, looking across at the photos, "Such an odd duo, people always said. But we were happy together and that was all that mattered to us."

"That's so lucky…" she echoed, not entirely meaning for him to hear it.

"I thought you liked Juudai now," he said, but smiled knowingly, "A maiden's love is hard to lose. Trust me, it took a long time for me to get Ryo to open up to me as much as he is on those pictures."

"I'd still like to know how you did it," she said, moving further through the pages, into the book.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Fubuki replied, "It takes a lot to know someone as they truly are. You have to look past what they think of themselves or what you think of them. Somehow, the two of us did that. I don't think we were even knew we were half the time."

She moved closer to the end of the album, noting how as it progressed the two grew closer. They were even hugging on the last few pages. And wait…was that ki-

The book was suddenly grabbed from her and closed hurriedly.

"I think that's all you need to see of that," Fubuki said, his face turning indignantly red. Perhaps he'd forgotten some of what was in that album himself; "I can only hope that it was helpful to you…"

Smiling, Rei answered, "Yes, more than helpful."

And she wasn't lying either. What Fubuki had shown her was that it wasn't just showing the people how they were that was important, but showing how they related to other people. The friendships formed at the school should not be forgotten and she knew now how to capture them on film.

Much the same as how Fubuki had captured his friendship with Ryo in these books.


	48. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the start of what was just a friendship, nothing more. Ryo would not allow Fubuki to get too close.

Ryo wasn't particularly close to anyone as far as friendships went.

He had a lot of respect for people, but it was easier to respect another person from, say, the other end of a room than it was to respect them up close next to his face. Respecting people from entirely different rooms was simple enough to manage, too.

It wasn't that he'd tried to make himself unapproachable so much as he had just turned out that way. It suited him fine, so he didn't make much effort to fix it.

He told himself that he wouldn't let anyone get too close; that every relationship he had with other people would be that of a working relationship.

Another elite student, Fubuki, had other ideas.

Fubuki always made a point to talk to Ryo, not seeming to get that Ryo wasn't a talkative person. Even when Ryo made a point of sitting in seats that were awkward to get to in the lecture hall, Fubuki would beeline his way over and sit next to him, talking loudly and cheerfully to him before his behind had even touched the seat. Because Ryo valued respect above all else, he was not rude to Fubuki, and tried to join in on the conversations even when he couldn't understand half of what Fubuki was going on about.

He reasoned that Fubuki would grow bored of him soon and that he was not letting the boy get too close.

It did not stop at sitting next to him in class and waving to him at lunch however. Soon enough Fubuki was coming to _call_ on Ryo, knocking loudly on the student's door and grinning widely as Ryo answered.

Of course Ryo could not send him away, so he would act on Fubuki's requests – going out with him to the beach or wherever else he wanted to go at that moment in time. It even got to the point where Ryo would expect Fubuki to turn up at his door at a particular time and be concerned if he didn't.

That didn't count as letting someone getting too close, though. Perhaps Fubuki was more than a workmate to him, but it was perfectly normal for someone to worry about where their friends were.

Time went on and it was Ryo who called on Fubuki for once. There rooms weren't too far apart from one another, but it surprised Ryo that for all Fubuki came to visit him, Ryo himself had not gone to find out where Fubuki was staying.

Knocking on the door for the first time felt awkward, but Fubuki answered like a shot, as if he was constantly waiting for someone to call on him. He invited Ryo in to the room and it didn't take long for the subject matter Ryo had in mind when he came here to be discussed.

The issue was that the beach felt too public to Ryo. He knew it was important to Fubuki to go there, but at the same time, he wanted somewhere that they could talk together without girls coming over every five minutes to chatter with Fubuki about something unimportant. Ryo had found the place. It was a lighthouse at the pier of the academia, which was quiet at the best of times and next to deserted at the nighttime, when Ryo and Fubuki usually talked with each other.

He was relieved when Fubuki agreed to this, and ignored the momentary glint in Fubuki's eyes. After all, it was normal for friends to want some privacy when they spoke to each other. It wasn't as if they were shutting themselves off from other people, just going to a place where other people usually didn't go. And he certainly wasn't getting too close to Fubuki.

The mentioned lighthouse became a regular meeting place for them. Neither even had to call on the other anymore, because they just knew where to be and at what time to be there. Somehow, over time, talking to Fubuki came more naturally to Ryo as well. He wasn't as forced to find something to talk about as he had been when Fubuki had first taken an interest in him. They had common grounds now, they had preferred topics and they each knew more of what the other liked or disliked.

It certainly wasn't unusual to know someone well enough to know that they were often too absentminded to forget lunch and, as a good friend, start to bring them something to eat when they met you at the lighthouse. Just because Fubuki was so picky that he hardly ate anything, probably to do with some fad diet, anyone who knew him for long enough would know that he loved kimchi above all else, and it was a good friend's duty to make sure he had some prepared for meeting with Fubuki.

He wasn't worrying too much.

And Ryo knew the glances that Fubuki sent him were that of friendship too, when he stopped pretending he couldn't see the glances. It wasn't as if Fubuki didn't grin that way to everyone he spoke to. And Fubuki was just naturally the sort of person who stood close to you, even if it was invading Ryo's personal space a little. Also, quite certainly naturally, Fubuki was a touchy-feely person. He hadn't done it when they'd first met, but now that they knew each other better, Ryo accepted that it was normal for Fubuki to occasionally hug him, almost at random. It was just that Fubuki knew Ryo well enough to know that he'd be all right with that, nothing more.

They were always just friends. When Fubuki stroked Ryo's hair, it was because it was in Ryo's eyes, and Fubuki cared a lot about people's hair. As his hand brushed softly against Ryo's cheek, that was just an accident. Albeit a regular accident, but Fubuki just misjudged where Ryo's hair was in relation to his cheek.

Friends sometimes kissed each other, too, it was something of an older custom, but perhaps Fubuki came from a traditional family. Ryo let it slide a few times.

As a friend, nothing more, Ryo cared about Fubuki's well being enough to not just let him go off with any girl that took his fancy. To check up on him every now and then, just to be sure that the girl wasn't going to take advantage of him. Ignoring the voice in his head that told him it would be more likely for Fubuki to take advantage of the girl.

It was a relief when these dates became less frequent, and Fubuki became more content with just flirting with the girls. He often used the excuse that he was taken already, but Ryo knew that this was not true, because he hung around with Fubuki so much that he'd seen there was no one for Fubuki to be taken by.

It was just Fubuki and himself. And they were just friends. Nothing more. Ryo was honest about that.


	49. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everything Fubuki brought back from the mainland was to Ryo’s approval. This latest item certainly was not.

There was only one shop at Duel Academia.

This shop sold what was vital to all students' lives – food and cards. Granted that most of the food tended to be sandwiches, but with such a large variety of flavours of sandwiches as Tome provided, this was hardly a setback.

But even so, a lot of the people who lived on the island for most of the year were teenagers, and teenagers had needs.

It was seen as a test of character. Though returning to the mainland wasn't impossible, it was impractical to go there and back on a regular basis just to get a few items of luxury. Sensible students would make that trip once every few months, or even during holidays, with set goals in mind about what they wanted to buy before returning to the island. Sensible students who had more will power did without the shopping.

Ryo had to credit Fubuki that, while he was materialistic, he did withhold and went without for a long while before he eventually took a trip to get things from the mainland. However, the sorts of items Fubuki brought back were usually… odd.

Fubuki was an unpredictable creature. He probably found a lot of joy in picking out whatever he thought would surprise others and bringing it back. "It seemed like a good idea at the time" was a quote that could be applied to Fubuki.

The reasons he gave Ryo for these spending habits usually went along those lines. But this time, Ryo didn't initially notice what it was Fubuki had bought as the boy hopped off the ferry and made his way over to the lighthouse where Ryo was standing.

He seemed to be empty-handed.

But when Fubuki got within ten feet of him, suddenly Ryo knew exactly what it was that Fubuki had brought back.

A strong will prevented him from doubling over, but even that couldn't stop him from lifting a hand to cover his nose. The smell was awful!

"You've noticed I see," said Fubuki, grinning obliviously.

Surely he couldn't have mistaken that reaction as one of approval, Ryo wondered.

Out loud he said, "That… isn't my sort of…" Sort of what? Was it cologne? Was it perfume? He wouldn't put either past Fubuki.

"What do you mean not your sort? All the high-class men back in Domino are wearing this," commented Fubuki. Which meant that he'd bought it from an expensive shop, not that he had any actual evidence that high-class men wore it, Ryo knew.

"They must all smell very bad then," replied Ryo, before he could stop himself.

Fubuki's face did a double take. It was hard to tell if he was acting or not, but he certainly looked offended.

"Maybe your nose just can't pick up on style," was the response.

Despite himself, Ryo smiled a little and said, "Perhaps my nose just has more sense than money."

"Look Ryo, this is what men smell like and you're just going to have to accept that," Fubuki answered in a finishing tone, folding his arms to emphasise that.

"Men who probably won't be dating anyone for a long time to come?" Ryo said, determined to, if not win the argument, at least convince Fubuki to get rid of the stench.

"It's going to affect my love life?" This hit home with Fubuki, who took a step backwards, "I cannot have that. The idol of all romance at Duel Academia must always have a date."

"So will you go take it off, then?" asked Ryo, feeling relieved.

"I'm washing it off right now," Fubuki said firmly.

"But how can you- …oh."

The last things Ryo saw of Fubuki were his legs as they disappeared into the water below the docks. That explained how he'd take it off.

At the end of the day, there was only one shop at Duel Academia. And sometimes, Ryo concluded, that could drive a few students a bit crazy.


	50. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After getting into Duel Academia, Ryo watches the entrance duels for other students, finding one in particular catches his eye.

"You really didn't have to duel, you know. I know your abilities, so I already knew that you'd win and get past the entrance exam," Samejima said, walking over to his young student as other duels continued in the arena below.

Ryo shook his head and turned from the matches to look at the older man.

"It would not be fair on anyone else if you had just let me in," he said, "If I want to become a student of Duel Academia, then I must do this the same way that all the other students do. Otherwise it would seem as if I don't respect the abilities of the examiners and see myself as above them, which is not the case."

Samejima had not expected any less. Ryo valued respect before all else; something that Samejima himself had taught the boy while he was training at the Cyber Dojo.

"Then I'm glad that you passed," Samejima concluded, "Now, I have to go deal with some of the paperwork before it piles up, but I hope you see some potential while watching these matches."

"There's a lot of potential to be seen," Ryo confirmed, bowing to his mentor, before going back to watching the matches.

The examiners were given a set selection of decks to test the students on, to find out which ones had the true talent. If they had been duelling using their own decks, it would have been much harder on the students, but in order to give these freshmen a chance, the test decks had to be used. Despite this, it was amazing how many different combinations could be performed using the same decks. A few students really seemed to make the examiners think hard on how they could win.

One student that stood out in particular to Ryo was a brunette boy who was currently duelling. When the boy had said he was going to be using a deck composed of normal monsters that didn't have effects, Ryo had noticed out of the corner of his eye that the examiner had smirked a little, but now he was probably regretting that.

The boy showed the raw power of normal beasts, and managed to summon high-level monsters like Sengenjin to the field with little effort at all. The duel was ended with a burst of power from Wild Nature's Release, which enabled the boy to take the examiner's life points down to nothing.

The signal went to confirm the defeat and an announcer declared that the winner of the match was Fubuki Tenjoin.

When his name was called out, the one called Fubuki made a show of bowing, before walking from the arena.

Something about him intrigued Ryo. It wasn't so much that he seemed to regard the duel as being something that spectators should watch as it was the skill he'd shown. He'd come in with the sort of deck an examiner would expect to weed out within a few minutes and made something so strong out of it. If this boy was going to be a student, then Ryo wanted to know him.

He left watching the tests for the moment, making his way down the stands to where Fubuki was sat, looking through his cards.

By that time, Ryo had remembered he wasn't good at starting conversations, and he was a stranger to this person. He couldn't just run over and say at random that he liked his duel, as that would have been much too forward.

It seemed he didn't have to worry though, as Fubuki turned to look at him and said, "You were the guy who was up earlier. Ryo, was it? That was an amazing match – I've never seen a Cyber Style deck in action before."

Thankfully for Ryo, this boy was forward enough to start a conversation on his own.

"I was just going to say the same to you, Tenjoin," Ryo said, politely.

"No need for the mannerisms, Fubuki will do just fine," he was told, with a dismissive wave of Fubuki's hand. And Ryo did notice that he hadn't seemed to mind when Fubuki had addressed him by his first name, though they were not familiar with each other.

"Fubuki, then. You will be an interesting opponent to duel and colleague to work alongside," said Ryo, "That beast deck should be a good challenge."

"Oh, this? This isn't my regular deck," Fubuki admitted, "I like it and it's got a lot of attack power, but I was mostly just using the exam to try it out."

The statement caught Ryo off-guard. Fubuki had come to the entrance exams for the most respected academia of duelling in the world and had walked through his test using a deck that he hadn't properly tried out before?

It wasn't that Ryo was unfamiliar with people using multiple decks, though he himself mostly stayed with a single style, but having such confidence would almost border on arrogance had Fubuki not backed it up with the skill.

"So what is your usual deck like?" Ryo asked, curiously.

Glancing up from the cards, Fubuki made a wink at Ryo.

"I'm not telling you that. Because I've seen that you, Ryo, are tied with me at the top of the leader board so far, which makes us rivals. And I don't want to give you a preview of my true work before we meet in the arena." With that he got up and walked off to get his uniform, leaving Ryo standing there.

This strange boy, who had got through the entrance exam so oddly, certainly left a strong first impression on Ryo.


	51. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki had failed to set Ryo up on a date once today already, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is based on an event from one of the Tag Force games.

"What have we learned today?" Ryo asked, his normally stoic face looking somewhat bemused.

"That next time I try to set you up with a girl, I make the offer to less girls than I did this time?" Fubuki sheepishly responded.

"It's a start, although I was hoping you'd say you wouldn't try something like this again."

The two of them stood in the Blue dorm, looking out of one of the windows while trying to not make themselves too noticeable to the outside world. Because the outside world happened to contain a lot of angry women who were surrounding the building and didn't look as if they'd be leaving anytime soon.

This was Fubuki's fault entirely, and he wouldn't deny that if someone accused him. The idea had been his – to set Ryo up on a date after his graduation match. The ending of the match had been spectacular, with neither Juudai nor Ryo losing, an ideal opportunity to celebrate without having to feel bad for anyone. And what girl wouldn't want to date the Kaiser of the academia?

Apparently most girls did want to date him, and that was where the problem had started.

Because Ryo himself wasn't interested. He'd wanted nothing to do with the girls and even duelled Fubuki on the condition that if he won, this date idea would be called off. And Ryo had won, which the girls weren't too pleased about. They made it all too clear that they wanted both of them and weren't going to settle for anything less, so as a result there was a temporary lockdown on the Blue boy's dorm.

All because Fubuki thought it would be fun to set Ryo up on a date.

"It's such a shame," Fubuki sighed, walking away from the window, "You really should have gone to the end of year ceremony with one of them. Now you won't get a chance, sorry I messed that up."

"But I didn't want to go with anyone, that's what I've been saying all along," Ryo exclaimed, though he doubted this would get through to Fubuki anymore than it had done the other times he'd said it.

"That's insane, there were some great girls out there and this could be your last chance," protested Fubuki, "Even Asuka expressed some interest, which surprised me… What have you got against dating in general?"

"Nothing," this much was true, "If that's what someone enjoys doing, then by all means they should be able to. I just don't feel the need to, personally."

Shaking his head, Fubuki said, "Well, it can't be for a lack of selection, I can tell you that – there was plenty of choice out there. But I still feel bad that you had to go through all of that. Somehow, I'll make it up to you."

"There's no need." It was something of an automatic response, the sort of thing one usually says in situations like that, but it was genuine. Even with that upset, the last day had been just what Ryo had wanted it to be and he didn't need Fubuki to set anything up to make it any better. That would just be effort wasted for the both of them.

A while later, as he walked down one of the corridors, he made do with the thought that even if Fubuki was intending to set up anymore stunts, there was no way it could involve dating. All the girls were shut outside, and it'd be a while before it was safe to talk to them again. The last boy who'd tried to leave the Blue dorm had found that out.

So for a while, he was safe. And by the time this had settled, he'd probably be leaving on a boat to the main land. So he should just relax and go back to his room to get ready for leaving.

He pushed the door out to find a room that looked unlike his own. Or rather, it did look like his own, if it had somehow managed to obtain a large, circular table in the middle of the room, complete with an overdone-looking red-and-white tablecloth and somewhere down the line, electricity had been thrown out the window in favour of candle light.

There was no question of who could have set this up.

The only thing that did run through Ryo's mind was where did Fubuki _get_ all this stuff from?

"What do you think?" came the gleeful voice of Fubuki as he stepped out from one of the darker corners, "I worked really hard to get it finished before you got back."

"What is all this?" Ryo asked. It was blunt of him, but Fubuki of all people knew that Ryo had no tact at all.

"It's to compromise for not getting you a date," Fubuki answered, "There was no chance of finding a substitute on such short notice but there was no reason why you shouldn't have a meal, even without a date."

"But I don't…"

"Eat? Don't worry, got that covered, too," said Fubuki, knowingly. He moved one of the covers to reveal a selection of bread that would make a bakery jealous.

Bread was the only food that Ryo enjoyed, Fubuki knew that all too well.

At that, Ryo had to give up and admit that his friend had done a good job.

Smiling, he said, "Thank you, Fubuki, I do appreciate this."

"Think nothing of it." Fubuki bowed low then got up to leave, but found a hand had been placed on his arm to stop him from walking away.

"You should stay too…" Ryo looked down, awkwardly; "This could be the last meal we have together for a long time, and I wouldn't want your work to go to waste…"

It was Fubuki's turn to smile now; he knew how hard it was for Ryo to be social, even around his close friends.

"I'm sure I can make room in my schedule for your curious eating habits," he said, pulling one of the chairs from the room around the other side of the table. It didn't match the chair that was already there but sometimes matching was not important.

And sometimes the compromise can turn out better than what you were originally aiming for.


	52. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki’s mother tried to help him a lot in the past, but as he got older, she accepted she needed to help him in unnoticeable ways.

Her son never particularly asked anyone for help. Although that wasn't to say he didn't _expect_ help from anyone. Fubuki was one of those people who expected everyone else to know when he needed help and be able to provide that without him having to ask them for it.

As his mother, it was her job to try and notice when he needed help, or at least she liked o think it was. That was how a good mother should care for her children, after all.

Asuka had never been as much of a problem as he had. She'd always been a levelheaded child from the word go and if she ever did need something, she had always been more inclined to ask her father for assistance than her mother. But Fubuki was different entirely in that regard.

When he'd gotten older, his mother started to worry that she had spoiled him somewhat while he was growing up, and he now walked around the world expecting everything to go just how he planned it. His plans were getting wilder and wilder, too.

The academia was good for him. Or at least it had been until he'd been kidnapped and presumed dead for at least a year. But once he'd come back, everything seemed to work out all right in the end, albeit with a lot of details that were hushed up about the incident and didn't even make it back to his parents' ears.

He started to learn to be independent, or else he was doing a good job of talking other people into doing his work for him. Even as a loving mother, she sometimes suspected that. Regardless, if that was how he would get by in the world, then at least he was learning for himself what worked and what didn't.

Despite this, she worried for him. He may not be her little boy anymore, but she still wanted to look after him. Although now she had to make do with doing that in little ways that he wouldn't notice.

An area she kept away from was Fubuki's love life. She knew a lot about her son, and she suspected more, but she would never pry in that area of his life. Whether or not he chose to date women was not her business. She only hoped that the men he may have chosen to be interested in were nice men.

Not like… not like that friend he'd had in the first year. The Ryo Marufuji boy. It was such a shame too; when Fubuki had first introduced Ryo to her, Ryo seemed like such a nice person, so polite and respectable. She wouldn't have minded so much if Fubuki had been interested in him back then.

But recently, she'd heard thing about the boy. She hadn't believed those things at first, until a friend had showed her one of those glossy magazines they printed covering the careers of Pro League duellists. After that, she'd caught one of his matches on TV by chance and saw the changes for herself.

Ryo was ruthless now. He fought opponents with no respect, treating those he defeated like they weren't even worthy of the ground they walked on. She couldn't understand how such a change could come over someone so quickly.

It wasn't, however, her place to understand. She had met the boy once or twice before, but that didn't mean she knew him well. Before worrying about his friends, it was the Tenjoin mother's role to worry about her son. And if her son hadn't been affected by the changes in Ryo, then that would have been the end of it.

Fubuki had been affected though. Not noticeably so, he was good at putting on a brave face and grinning at people as the world crashed down around him, but a mother noticed things that other people did not. Fubuki's mind was wandering more lately, he tended to disappear to be on his own a lot more, only to rely on people accepting he was enigmatic when he came back, and once, when he had come back for the summer, she'd caught him watching a Pro League match on TV, before quickly turning it off as she walked into the room.

He'd hung around the room long enough afterwards, so that she couldn't check what he'd been watching, but TV guides did exist, and glancing through one, she saw that what Fubuki was watching at that time had indeed been one of Ryo's matches.

Fubuki was worried for Ryo. But he was just a student, and had no way of getting in contact with the other boy now.

She knew that she should hate Ryo for what he'd done to her son. She knew that she should pick Fubuki up and put him on the right track, hoping that he'd pursue any guy _except_ that Ryo Marufuji. But she knew that Fubuki was close enough to being an adult to make his own choices, and she could help him more by supporting him than she could by objecting to these decisions.

So she hunted high and low, looking for something small that could help him out. Phone line bookings were useless, you always got through to a machine and made several wrong button pushes before getting onto a person who'd tell you to call another department. And the Internet wasn't much use, either. All of the websites came up with the same results – high-level Pro League matches were always sold out.

By the time she'd actually found what she'd been looking for, she'd almost given up hope. It was lucky for her that her boss happened to be interested in duelling, but was too busy to attend some of the matches he wanted to go to see. She'd thank him fully, vowing to work hard to make up for what he had given her.

And now she had it – a single ticket to a Pro League match that included a duellist under the alias of Hell Kaiser, which she'd learned to be Ryo. She could give this to Fubuki now and he would go, almost definitely. And one way or another, his life would change.

Could she live with herself if she'd let him walk right into heartbreak?

No. That was his choice. Whether he spoke about his feelings to Ryo or not was for him to decide, and he was responsible enough now to make the decision that was right for him.

Even so, she didn't want to give him any proof that she was worrying too much. So the ticket was left on a little table in his room, no note attached and no sign of where it may have come from. As long as he didn't ask, he didn't need to know.

It turned out he didn't ask. But the next time she checked the room, the ticket was gone. He was out the night of the match, too.

The next day, she didn't ask about how it had turned out, this was one more of her unspoken deeds to help him.


	53. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo and Fubuki may not have been the most mystical people in the world, but they decided to humour the notion of carnival fortune telling for once.

He lived in a day and age where a lot of people believed that things happened for a reason. Which was surprising, really, since he also lived in a time of technological advancement – the digital age. The age where holographic images not only felt real, but had been around so much that people just accepted them as being as normal as anything else.

You'd think that an era like this would let go of traditional notions of fate and other superstitions. But there was always something popping up every now and then to give people a reminder of where they stood in the grand scheme of the universe.

He'd seen those things happen a bit too much.

One of those such events, recent enough to merit being remembered, but old enough to be overshadowed by later near-death-encounters, had been specifically centred around the belief that everything happens for a reason. The man being controlled by the alien parasite had said that the world was destined not to have free will. The boy gifted with more skill than any other, it seemed, had said that he rather liked free will, thank you very much.

The boy had won, but somehow people still believe that everything happened for a reason. They thought the boy must have been fated to win and always would be. Somewhat a tough life for a child to live up to.

But this person was not at all connected to that incident with the boy. He knew of the incident, he knew of the people involved, but he was not part of it in any way.

And he didn't believe that things happened for a reason.

To him, that was the coward's way out. He accepted that he had made a lot of mistakes in his life, but those mistakes weren't destined to happen, they were mistakes he'd made by his own choices. He had lived with them, he had even grown because of them, but at the end of the day, everything that had happened had been down to him – not some mystical cosmos from space or whatever else.

He was surprised to find out that his partner, Fubuki, felt the same way.

"But you were a host to the essence of _Darkness,_ surely that's got to pull you in favour of the supernatural," Ryo commented to his friend, as they walked down the busy Domino central street.

"I didn't say that I didn't believe in the supernatural," Fubuki corrected, "After everything that's happened, it'd be hard not to. What I was saying is that I don't believe in destiny as such. It was me who became one of his hosts, but it didn't _have_ to be me. It could have been someone else, I was just the most suitable candidate at the time."

Ryo made a small nod, as his eyes started to scan across the crowd. Though it was packed with people, the roads were actually closed off today – for there was a travelling carnival in town and the path was covered in brightly coloured tents. Fubuki enjoyed this sort of event, so Ryo had humoured him by coming.

It felt strange that they'd come so far that Fubuki now spoke openly of Darkness as if it was all a thing of the past. It also felt strange that Ryo could now walk again, as opposed to having to be wheeled around everywhere, even if he did need some help from a cane to keep his balance.

And it really, more so even than the other two things, felt strange that the two of them now had a relationship with each other. But then, going from leading a life of being involved in near-apocalyptic experiences to suddenly having to lead a normal existence could have unusual effects on people. Neither of them had fathomed an explanation further than that.

"Talking of that is going to drag us down, though," Fubuki yawned, snapping Ryo out of his thoughts, "We came to the fair to enjoy ourselves, so we might as well see what they've got."

After looking around for a moment, Fubuki's eyes settled on a tent composed of deeper and richer colours than the others, but still with a patchwork effect. The sign stitched above the entrance said 'fortune teller' in elaborate lettering.

"What about that one?" Fubuki asked, innocently.

"You just said you didn't believe in that sort of stuff," said Ryo, indifferently.

"Yeah, but it'll still be fun, and I believe in fun," he laughed.

Though he agreed to go in, it felt sort of weird to Ryo. Whenever the term 'fortune telling' was mentioned, he thought instantly of Saiou – the poor man who had been the host to that parasite of Light. It was easy to forget that there were other people out there making a living from telling fortunes, whether genuine or not. The whole world didn't stop to change it's ways because something that had happened on a little island out at sea.

As the two of them walked into the tent, they were greeted by a lady in sparkling makeup and sequined robes, waving her hand over a crystal ball for effect. It was shocking for them both at first, but on reflection, Ryo thought that if he had never heard of Saiou or the Hikari no Kessha, this would have been exactly what he'd expected a fortune teller at a carnival to look like. There was no reason why she shouldn't be a woman. Or why she shouldn't be so overdressed to make herself look more authentic.

Fubuki took the seat opposite her at the table, and motioned for Ryo to sit down next to him.

Upon looking up at them, the lady said, in a far-away voice, "You have come for a joint reading. May I ask your names?"

Ryo couldn't stop himself from thinking that, if she was psychic, she wouldn't need to answer, but politely the two men gave their names.

"Ah yes, Fubuki and Ryo… the blizzard and the brilliance," she said, pausing for effect.

Had he not already known what his and Fubuki's names meant, that might have been impressive, but as it stood, Ryo knew that anyone who knew enough about names would know that. If his name had been one letter different, she'd be telling him he was a dragon.

"I sense that your connection to each other is also like that of a brilliant storm," she went on.

It was hard for them both to keep a straight face at that one. She really didn't know the half of it.

Fubuki said she was right, and went on to talk casually about little details that they had in connection to each other. This was what she wanted, and Ryo knew that. Regardless of Saiou's own skills in reading lives, the average carnival fortune teller made their statements by knowing a lot about people – and relied on getting people to talk about themselves so they could learn what to say next. So far, all she'd done was make some unambiguous comments that could be applied to anyone with the name Ryo or Fubuki, she hadn't made any effort to read their futures.

He thought to himself that Fubuki was possibly aware of this, too; he was playing along because for the moment he was entertained.

"I see…" she said, after Fubuki had stopped talking long enough for her to cut in. Waving her hand over the crystal ball once more, she went on, "…I am getting a prediction for you both now…"

In spite of themselves, both men leaned forward to listen to her.

"In the near future, you will both be fruitful in a shared endeavour, but… I also see an issue between you both. There is… a girl that you are both close to?"

"Yes, there is," said Fubuki, and he went on to tell her about Asuka. But after a small, shared glance with Ryo, he decided not to mention that Asuka was his sister.

She nodded solemnly, going onto say, "You should both be wary of this girl and how she affects you. For one day you may be forced to choose between your connection to each other and your relationship with her. But… I trust you shall both make the right choice."

The reading went on for a short while after that. When it was finished they both thanked and paid her before leaving the tent and heading out and further down the street.

"So?" Fubuki asked, with a smirk towards Ryo.

"I think you already know what I feel about the reading," Ryo commented passively, "All of the statements she made were general ones that could be applied to anyone. Being successful in the near future is easy enough, we're both at the carnival and, regardless of how rigged these games are, we'll probably win something at some point. Other than both being guys, we didn't tell her about the relationship we have, so she made the assumption that there was a girl involved and let us fill in the blanks. She didn't make any statements that could imply that we were either friends or a couple, or even how the girl could come between us. It was all just so… general."

"That's what I thought," said Fubuki, still smiling to himself, "But even when you're being vague about predictions, you can get things wrong."

He received an enquiring look from Ryo.

"She made a presumption that this girl would cause problems for us both down the line; and I can say with certainty that Asuka would never hurt either of us in anyway," Fubuki carried on, and Ryo firmly agreed to that.

After they had returned from the carnival that day, Asuka found herself presented with a rather large teddy bear wearing a bow that they had won from one of the stalls. She couldn't make sense of why they would get her something at all, but she had come to accept that the two of them were not predictable in the slightest.


	54. Samejima (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samejima has to choose the best student Duel Academia has to offer to send to America. The problem is that Duel Academia has two best students.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another manga-based fic.

If it had been any other year, either one of them could have been perfect.

It wouldn't have even had to be four years that separated them, really - if either of them had been so much as a year older or a year younger than the other, they could have been the best students in their year. Easily.

But it so happened that Ryo and Fubuki were in the same year as each other, and both were of equal skill. Their rivalry was set out very early on in their time at the academia for that reason. When the two duelled one another, it tended to result in an even amount of wins and losses for them both, or else they had a tendency to draw a lot. So as the years went on, even though they were known as rivals, it wasn't very often that they duelled one another.

And it was a pity, because if it had just been one of them attending the academia that year - and it didn't matter which one - they would have been the greatest student in the school's current history. The teachers that taught them were all painfully aware of this.

None so painfully as Samejima, however; because Samejima had a choice to make.

It wasn't unusual for transfers of students to take place across the academies of duelling throughout the world, and now the most promising academia in America was requesting for the top student of Duel Academia to go study there. Which was Samejima's problem – he had two equally tied students in the position of best scholar and had to choose one to send.

There was no way to be fair about this, so with much doubt and a small amount of shame on his conscience, Samejima called Ryo to his office.

He couldn't have hid the favouritism for offering the chance to Ryo first; the two of them shared a close bond as student and mentor predating Ryo's attendance at the Academia. Not to mention that Ryo was generally better behaved than Fubuki, so less likely to show Duel Academia up in the long run.

Presenting the offer to Ryo, he tried to make it sound as if it were more of an equal chance for both him and Fubuki.

"You really could do with seeing more of the world yourself," he started, because this seemed like a good sentence to open with, "And putting some distance between Tenjoin and yourself would give you both time to shine individually. I know it's been hard for you both being constantly viewed as equal to each other."

Ryo was quiet for a worrying amount of time, before responding, "I'm afraid I'll have to turn you down on the offer, Samejima. As much as it would be a great honour to represent Duel Academia, it would also not be fair to go alone and take this chance from Fubuki."

"I don't understand," Samejima replied, "You don't have to pretend that your rivalry with him doesn't annoy you, wouldn't you say this could benefit you both?"

There was no pause for Ryo's next response, "It is annoying to be tied to such a situation, as much as I do respect Fubuki," he said levelly, "But it is through this vice that a great virtue has been presented to me – a competition that I would not otherwise have. Through being equal to Fubuki, I have tried much harder to improve as a duellist than I would have done without him, and I'm sure he feels the same. To be separated from my rivalry with him at the moment would be something I would not thank you for."

There was no venom in the final sentence, but Samejima felt the effect of it all the same. He dismissed Ryo soon after that to reflect on what he had said.

Idly looking over some files he had brought out on the two students, he considered what to do next. If Ryo had refused, he'd originally intended to call Fubuki in to his office and repeat the same offer to him. Though he had to admit that he wasn't expecting Ryo to refuse, especially not in the way he had done.

He didn't doubt that if he called Fubuki in, he would just hear the same thing that Ryo had said to him repeated. But… it wasn't as if he had a choice now.

So he called Fubuki in, and the other elite student stood in front of his desk looking curious and a little fidgety.

"I have an offer to make to you," Samejima started, "Another elite academia for duelling has made an offer for Duel Academia to send our best student to America to study there and represent us."

Nodding and grinning, Fubuki answered, "Great! I'll go get Ryo and the two of us will pack."

Samejima looked at him in confusion. He knew that he'd said 'student' as a singular word and Fubuki either hadn't heard him correctly or was ignoring it.

"But… well, they only asked to send one student," he tried to clarify, if Fubuki hadn't understood.

"Yeah, and they asked for Duel Academia's best. We've got two bests," Fubuki said, and Samejima noted he was explaining this slowly as if Samejima himself hadn't understood.

Pausing for a moment, Samejima responded, "This is most unusual."

"I think they like unusual in America," Fubuki said, with a wink.

You couldn't argue with this boy. Samejima was starting to see how Fubuki balanced out Ryo so well.

"Very well, you should go prepare. But please inform Ryo of this change, as he's under the impression that he won't be going," answered Samejima, feeling that it was a weight off his chest.

"He's such a wallflower that he'd do anything to avoid going away," Fubuki sighed, shaking his head, "No need to worry, sir, I'll track him down and drag him on the plane if I have to."

A small laugh from Samejima. As Fubuki left, the principal really thought the students had taught him a lesson about how a rivalry could help someone just as much as it hindered them.


	55. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hell Kaiser Ryo just wanted people to know the truth about him – that he was a person who had made his own choices. But even with acceptance, there were complications.

The Genex Tournament had been more painful than anyone had cared to admit.

But it had not been painful for Hell Kaiser Ryo, a current star of the Pro League, as far as anyone knew. He'd made it very clear as he dropped the final medal Manjoume would need to become the champion at the feet of Rei Saotome, that the whole event had meant nothing to him.

That was a lie, though.

It had meant something to him, just not something that the others were aware of…

Hell Kaiser was a person – an individual who could make choices about how he lived his life. That seemed like a simple enough concept to grasp, and yet people struggled with it.

He could understand why, if he was feeling in the mood to justify their views, because he had gone through such a drastic change in such a short space of time. The original Kaiser may have been a weak person who put too much value in respecting others, but many saw him as a friend. When that person became Hell Kaiser, who cared only for victory and thought respect was meaningless, they'd struggled to accept that change.

So what had those he'd once been close to done?

They had come to the conclusion that another being was controlling Ryo, and the changes had not been of his own choice. This was not so farfetched, seeing as how his former friends had spent so long fighting the Hikari no Kessha – an organisation that depended on mind control, but it angered him greatly.

He'd used the tournament to confront those he'd been closest too, his best friend Fubuki and his brother Shou, to show them that the change had come from within Ryo himself, not some darkness that was controlling him. Refusing Rei's challenge had been the last thing he needed to do there, to show to her that he had changed too much and it was her turn to also change and move on from her former feelings for him as well.

She hadn't been the only one who'd had prior feelings for Ryo crushed by the change either, but he felt as if Fubuki had now accepted that Ryo was not the same person he'd known and had moved on.

Everyone knew the truth about Ryo Marufuji now, but for some reason, leaving the tournament had still left a bitter sting.

He reasoned with himself that they caused the drain on him. That he was reflecting their feelings of sorrow at discovering the truth and soon he would get over it. They would, too.

The tournament had also marked the end of the academia's educational year and they would all have the summer to reflect on it if they needed to.

Upon returning to the abode he was staying in during his run in the Pro Leagues, he took to the sofa with a heavy sigh. This was a temporary apartment for him, and not the first one that year, either. He'd left home not long after his graduation and had since been staying in houses that were closer to the Pro Leagues and were affordable. For this, he was quite thankful, because after his match against Shou, he doubted he'd have been able to face his brother over the summer if he'd continued to live at home. Some distance was good.

But distance wasn't something the world wanted to give Ryo at the moment, because he heard a phone ring softly.

It took a few moments for him to register that it wasn't the house phone, the tone was much too muffled, and it couldn't have been his current mobile, because he was carrying that with him.

Locating the source of the sound, he found the ringing from another mobile he'd kept in a cabinet, discarded. It was a phone he'd used while Duel Academia and was full of numbers he'd never expected to hear from again. In truth, he didn't know why he hadn't thrown it away yet with all the moving around he did, but there it was, ringing – its screen glowing a shade of blue and reflecting the name of the caller on the surface.

Pressing the button to answer, he didn't talk at all, waiting angrily for the person on the other end to begin their business.

"Ryo?" came the surprised voice of Fubuki, who had probably been considering hanging up just before Ryo had answered, "Are you there?"

"Yes," Ryo answered, tonelessly, letting the use of his birth name slide, since this was Fubuki.

"That's good," the boy said quietly, before carrying on, "Look, I know that I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now…"

_"One_ of the last people," said Ryo, thinking he should keep his former best friend on the right track.

"Yeah. Well… fine. But I want to speak to you anyway," Fubuki answered, with a resolve that would not be stopped by petty insults.

Ryo answered him, "You don't want to talk to me. You want to talk to a friend you had last year. A friend who has grown up and changed, and who is not being controlled by anything except his own choices."

"…I've accepted this," said Fubuki, and his voice wasn't as cracked as Ryo had been expecting it to be, "I know now that you are Hell Kaiser Ryo because you want to be, not because anyone else is making you that way."

"And yet you still want to talk with me?" challenged Ryo.

"Of course I do," answered Fubuki, "Because you're a person I once cared about and I've come to see that I have to accept your choices, even the ones I disagree with. And I hope that… that if I get to know you for a second time around you, might become someone that I care about once more."

A pause, as Ryo took this in. Though Fubuki was used to pauses from Ryo by now and didn't complain.

After a moment, Ryo responded, _Hell Kaiser_ responded, "I'm not as easy to be friends with as I once was. If you want a chance, I'll give you one now that you've accepted the fact that I am indeed Ryo, but don't expect this to be simple and be prepared for hurt."

Regardless of how serious this was, Fubuki laughed.

"I'm more than prepared for hurt, Ryo, I'm looking forward to it."

That had been the last thing Ryo was expecting him to say. But there was Fubuki, ready to be his best friend, even after the fact that his best friend had become a different person had sunk in.

And so he considered, perhaps a bit of hurt was something both of them could benefit from.


	56. Ryo & Asuka (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo thought he’d found a home in Duel Academia, but there was a lot that Duel Academia wanted to hide from him.

As a rule, Ryo didn't have a singular place that he referred to as home in the past. Mostly because he didn't have the emotional attachment to bother with the concept. And partly because nothing ever seemed quite right for him.

Certainly he'd had a house that he'd lived in as a child, but he didn't really think much about it in the sense of a home. He had been quite young when he'd gone to train at the Cyber Dojo and often stayed away from the house where his family lived for long periods of time. Even before that, his relationship with his brother, Shou, had been awkward and he didn't see that changing anytime soon.

At the same time, the dojo didn't feel like home either. He was there to study the Cyber Style, and he knew it wouldn't be permanent. It would only be a matter of time before he was separated from that place, though apparently not from Samejima.

For Ryo went on to become a pupil at Duel Academia, a school that Samejima was in charge of. It was here that, for the first time, Ryo started to consider that he may have found a home.

He loved the academia, he loved studying there and he loved the people there. It felt refreshing being surrounded by so many people who enjoyed duelling, but used different decks beside the Cyber Style. The variety there made it entertaining.

The one person who provided the most entertainment for him was Fubuki, a boy who fast became Ryo's best friend, despite the two of them being almost polar opposites. Fubuki made a house a home. He did a lot of things that Ryo disagreed with, but something about that just made him more attractive as a person.

However, it seemed that there were secrets held in the place that Ryo called home that he did not know about. The students may not have been as safe there as they thought they were when they applied.

Rumours had always spread around quietly, but nothing could calm the whispers when a whole selection of students disappeared without a trace. A previously much used dorm was shut off and quickly fell to ruin, with students being forbidden to go there. And those who didn't disappear were silenced. If the media found out about these disappearances, then it would drastically affect the future of Duel Academia. As most of the students valued their education there, they took to only talking about the event with each other, and eventually it died down altogether.

But not for Ryo.

One of the students who were taken away was Fubuki, and there was nothing that could make him forget this. He couldn't accept that he had to go on not knowing where Fubuki was or even if he was still alive. Whether or not the staff knew what had happened, it made sense that _someone_ knew - someone who would not talk.

He didn't feel he could trust as many people now. He felt wary as the days went on, and without Fubuki to cheerfully wash away his worries, he fell back to his old habits of being disconnected from those around him.

Duel Academia was no longer a home to Ryo.

Until the return of Fubuki, if that happened, it would solely be a place of study for him. And he was certain that nothing could change his mind in that regard.

It seemed though, that fortune had a single favour it wanted to show to Ryo before he set his course completely.

He entered his third year, and a new group of first year students arrived. Despite everything else, Ryo was a person who saw the future duellists as being important, and he liked to see the new students as they enrolled. In that first year, he'd found his hope.

A girl. A girl who not only showed promise in the game of Duel Monsters, but also showed a lot of determination in another field. For the first time in a long while, someone was asking questions about the missing students from that event. She seemed truly set on finding out what had happened.

This intrigued Ryo, because the students had been told not to discuss the subject and she clearly couldn't have been there at the time that it had happened. How did she know? Why did she want to know more?

He approached her, and may have been rash about asking her those questions. However she didn't take offence at his nature. If anything, she seemed happy that someone was showing an interest in her search.

"I'm looking because one of the students was my brother and very dear to me," she answered him, "His name was Fubuki Tenjoin. I want to find him somehow."

Ryo couldn't stop himself from smiling at that.

"You may have found the right person then," he told her, "Fubuki was my closest friend, and I will do anything in my power to aid you in your search for him."

And so a friendship from common goals was formed between Ryo and the girl called Asuka. They both found someone who understood them and had the same aim in discovering the hidden truth.

Because of her, for the second time, Ryo viewed Duel Academia as his home.


	57. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki had loved Ryo before, and now he was trying to love Ryo afterwards.

It hadn't been the first time that Fubuki had loved Ryo.

He knew that it wouldn't be the last time, either. For even when life changed, he somehow found himself back here again. Back with Ryo.

This was, however, his first time loving Ryo under the alias of Hell Kaiser. Perhaps he should have considered how much weight that fact held beforehand.

He knew that Ryo was different now, anyone could see that just from looking at him, but he didn't think that Ryo would be so much different in the department of relationships as he'd turned out to be.

One aspect that hadn't changed about Ryo at all was that he was difficult for other people to approach. Getting affection from Ryo was not easy. But Fubuki found that affection, and with it, he found just how different Ryo had become.

The old Ryo, the Kaiser of Duel Academia, had not been rough in love. He had been caring and considerate. Respect was everything to him, and thus he'd always been concerned about the well being of his partner.

Fubuki had sort of liked this about him. Because Fubuki came from a life where relationships generally lasted from half way through the party to the next morning. He wasn't used to someone actually caring for him.

Respect meant nothing to the new Ryo, though, the Hell Kaiser. Nothing loving or gentle could be felt in the touch of Ryo now. Everything was rough, everything was hard, and if Fubuki broke, then he wasn't worthy of the time that Ryo was giving him.

He should have thought that this was not the Ryo he'd fallen in love with, but he'd stopped saying those words, even in his head, a while back. They held no justification once he had accepted that no matter how drastic the difference was, this Ryo was the same Ryo that had always been.

Perhaps he should have left it there. Perhaps he should have accepted the change and moved on from the other person. But Fubuki rarely took the course of action that was sensible. He also rarely had regrets for his actions. Since he knew that if he left Ryo now, Fubuki would look back on it and wish that he'd acted.

For better or for worse, Fubuki was in love with Ryo.

It was hard to tell if Ryo had accepted that, though he seemed to be testing Fubuki all the same. Every time Ryo became harder to find. It wasn't unusual for him to leave without a word, but Fubuki always hunted him down in the end. And each night that they spent together, Ryo made sure it hurt more. Fubuki had no idea that Ryo even knew some of the things that he did beforehand. The boy was a mass of surprises.

He winced as he sat down. Sometimes he didn't know how much more he could take of this before he fell apart. Would the apparent tests never end or would this just be the way Ryo would treat him, either until he gave up or the end of his life arrived?

The end of his life may be arriving a good deal sooner at this rate, too.

At this point, Fubuki accepted that he hated Ryo. The person who had once been his best friend and his partner was now his worst nightmare. But he loved Ryo, too, even this new version. He cringed inwardly as he considered he might even love Hell Kaiser more than he'd loved the original Kaiser.

He leaned his head on the back of the sofa, sighing out loud and wondering about the sort of things that made his head spin.

When the sound of Ryo opening the door was heard, he didn't respond. If Ryo wanted to get a head start on his next run away, then Fubuki didn't mind. He would chase as soon as he'd got a decent night's sleep.

But Ryo didn't leave the room. Fubuki listened idly to his footsteps, until the other boy stopped behind the sofa he was resting on. Now Fubuki moved his gaze enough to look at Ryo.

The other regarded him for a while, before removing a ticket from his pocket and dropping it to float down towards Fubuki. Even in his dazed state, it wasn't hard for Fubuki to catch it.

Before he had time to read it, Ryo said, "It's for a Pro League match, but not one of mine. You've had it rough these past few weeks and I thought you could do with a break. The match is in two days time and if you go, then I'll be there with you. But it's your choice, as always."

That was all he said, no words to express how he felt at all. He was not a person of words anymore, but he'd said everything that Fubuki had needed to know.

He was giving Fubuki a chance at a break. This was the first time since Fubuki had pursued him away from Duel Academia that Ryo had shown any signs of returning the emotion. A sign that he wanted Fubuki to be there.

There was no consideration as to if Fubuki would go or not, for Fubuki knew that he would. To be with Ryo and not hurt.

This might not be the worst nightmare for him, after all.


	58. Ryo/Fubuki/Edo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edo fails to explain the concept of the Dark Heroes to Fubuki.

"We are the Dark Heroes, that alone should be simple enough to understand," Edo said, in a voice that sounded calm in his mind. Although he felt anything but calm right now.

"No, it doesn't make any sense," Fubuki stubbornly insisted, "Saying someone's dark means that their motives are corrupt, but saying someone's a hero means that they save others. You can't do that if you're dark. I think what you're referring to is an antihero, you know?"

"No, I do not know!" Edo snapped, before going back to his faux impression of a neutral mind, "Anti means against. If we were against heroes, we'd be trying to stop them."

"But that's how the saying goes," Fubuki replied.

Growling a little, Edo retorted, "The saying is stupid, then. My version makes much more sense. It means that we are dark, yes; people who do things that others may object to. But we are also heroes, people who save others."

"So why don't you just tell people that?" asked Fubuki.

"Because it takes too long to say!" Edo shot, "By the time I've finished explaining it, the situation would have probably gotten too bad for Hell Kaiser and myself to save anyone."

A pause for thought.

Then; "But saying that you're Dark Heroes is still not strictly true."

"It's a metaphor, Tenjoin. A metaphor! Have you never heard the concept before?" Edo went on, not sure how much more of this he could take.

"I know what they are, but people will understand you more if you say things that are literal. You know, so instead of saying you're the Dark Heroes, you should say, 'We're the people who generally act in a way that you might object to, but we're going to save you anyway,'" instructed Fubuki.

"How… just _how_ do you put up with this?" Edo asked, turning away from Fubuki, but motioning in his general direction, as he instead looked over at Hell Kaiser Ryo. The other had been reading in the corner and trying very hard to ignore both of them.

Looking up at the two, Ryo answered, "Conversations with Fubuki are a test of character. He makes you talk about issues that you'd never considered before, and you'll feel drained when you're finished, but you'll come out of it a stronger person."

"I want out of it now," insisted Edo, moving further away from Fubuki, as if the boy was some sort of disease.

A small smile of amusement played about Ryo's lips as he watched the two of them. Edo's plea for help was soon left behind as Fubuki went on to talk about how he would not let Edo go until he understood how metaphors should be applied to life and Edo couldn't stop himself from arguing with this. Soon, Ryo was forgotten once more, as the debate grew more ludicrous.

Though Ryo did not go straight back to his book. He watched them for a while. In truth they both annoyed him slightly, but he did not resent them. They had chosen him, not the other way around, and time had tested their loyalty. So he accepted them both, no matter how annoying they might be.

He had a feeling, though, that the debate of the Dark Heroes would not be dropped anytime soon.


	59. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In a tournament where bribery comes in the form of sandwiches, two fussy eaters are brought together unwillingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on Tag Force 3.

People sometimes joked that if you knew the eating habits of another person, then you'd know them for too long.

In Duel Academia, this had gone beyond a joke.

Partnerships should be built up through duelling, learning how another person works in the midst of battle. Duelling together enough to build up a bond of complete and total trust. Bribery should have no place in friendship.

However, some people had discovered that bribery could be a handy tool.

It was probably Samejima's fault. Though no one would say it to the kindly teacher's face. He had set up the tag partner system so that duellists who otherwise would be completely unfamiliar with each other would get a chance to duel together and grow stronger. When the two duellists were satisfied with their partnership, then they could move onto another partner.

Those of little patience had soon learned that there are other ways to get people to like you besides duelling. And soon others caught onto the method. Within no time, there were queues outside the cafeteria longer than any that Tome had seen before.

They'd all wanted the same thing – sandwiches.

The selection of sandwiches that Tome made was legendary for it's variety. The choice of flavours ranged from jam to ramen. That's right, ramen in a sandwich. It was surprising how some of the sandwiches had caught on.

This strange cart of sandwiches was the ideal way to get a hard to find taste without having to put any effort into preparing it yourself. All you had to do was find out what sort of food your randomly assigned partner enjoyed.

Those who had Juudai for a partner obviously had no trouble at all in this area.

Those who had Ryo as a partner might as well give up hope of ever getting his approval on any form of baked goods.

The black-clad duellist was legendary for being the most difficult partner to bribe in all of the academia. Even though he claimed to have given up the respect he'd had for others a while ago, it still stood that he only cared for duelling and wanted nothing to do with being given gifts from those who were tagged with him.

Some people were starting to suspect that the Pro League duellist had only remained for this third tournament because torturing them amused him.

And his previous partner sighed with relief as he opened the message on his PDA that told him he had satisfied Hell Kaiser and was to be assigned a new partner. Compared to that nightmare, the poor duellist would sooner try to make friends with one of the Seven Stars if it came to that!

But Hell Kaiser still existed, and as such had to be given another partner to duel with. It didn't matter to him. He was here for the competition and found only vague interest in learning the duelling styles of the people he was partnered with. Though he had to admit, seeing the students fail to bribe him was entertaining.

He opened the message indifferently, but that indifference soon turned to annoyance as he saw who he had been partnered with. Random name generators must have some sick sense of humour after all…

"So, from now on we're partners," came the cheerful voice of Fubuki.

A dark glance from over the top of his PDA. The other didn't need to ask how Fubuki had gotten there; the former elite student was well trained in preparing to make surprise entrances. As Ryo knew well.

"Only until we are both satisfied with each other," answered Hell Kaiser, "And seeing as we were once close sparring partners, as far as duels go, that should not take too long."

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Fubuki's grin was almost malicious, "But I really haven't duelled alongside you since you acquired that Cyberdark deck of yours. A lot has changed since then, and you might find that bribery will get you somewhere."

He winked, and Hell Kaiser looked disgusted at the concept.

"I would never stoop to the levels of those who think they could buy approval," he assured.

"Then be prepared to be stuck with me for a long time, because I'm someone who believes that a good duel partnership comes from more than just duelling together," answered Fubuki confidently.

And he kept to those words, too.

Over the time they duelled well, both functioning perfectly as a tag team, even though it had been years since they'd duelled together. And yet Fubuki refused to send off a notice of approval about their partnership. Even after Ryo had pointedly sent Samejima a message that he was fully content with his current partner and was ready to move onto a new one.

How long would he be stuck with the flamboyant duellist for?

Eventually, begrudgingly, Hell Kaiser decided he would give in and buy Fubuki one of those sandwiches. All Fubuki wanted was the gesture, so it shouldn't matter too much what he got.

Regardless, he was satisfied when he drew the Cook's sandwich that Tome made daily. In the hearts of many students, it was second only to the Tamagopan, golden egg sandwich. Even Ryo, fussy as he was, had a certain fondness of this particular flavour.

He stalked out of the cafeteria; paying no heed to the odd glances he received from Tome and her assistant Seiko at his out-of-place appearance there.

Fubuki wasn't far off, and as he drew level with him, Hell Kaiser thrust the packaged meal sharply towards him.

The glee on Fubuki's face was visible, but as he bit into the sandwich it soon changed to one of disgust.

"I hate this," he said, tossing it into a nearby trashcan.

"But everyone loves that one!" argued Hell Kaiser in disbelief.

"You should know by now that I'm not everyone," Fubuki said, theatrically.

Trying hard not to grit his teeth, Hell Kaiser whispered, "What do you like then?"

"That's for you to work out, as my tag partner," said Fubuki.

This charade would stop before it started. Hell Kaiser took hold of Fubuki's hand and marched him back to the cafeteria, causing both of the women to jump at his sudden reappearance. Fubuki was walked firmly over to the cart, and left the poor younger girl with no hope of escape. She was nervous enough of the two strange boys as it was and firmly wished that she'd chosen to man the card shack today instead of letting Tome do it.

"Then I will get this right," Hell Kaiser said calmly.

"And no drawing the Tamagopan, that's cheating," said Fubuki with a grin.

It was the first time Seiko had ever heard a student specifically not want that sandwich, but she shrugged it off as Hell Kaiser paid for another one.

The sad thing was Fubuki wasn't even eating them. He was simply lifting the bun to see what was inside, shaking his head then handing it back to the assistant so she could sell it again. Such behaviour had never been seen before.

The boy was impossible! He didn't like fruit, which was the first thing Hell Kaiser tried, due to Fubuki's love of Hawaiian culture. He didn't like vegetables, though Hell Kaiser had to admit he sort of saw that coming. He seemed to hate chocolate most of all, and that had been the safety net for Hell Kaiser to fall back on.

Eventually, he gave up on the pleasant looking flavours and thrust another sandwich to Fubuki.

It contained gyoza. Hardly a delicacy by any stretch of the imagination. It reeked of a strong garlic smell that Hell Kaiser found particularly disgusting and he had no doubt that it had been fried in some disgusting oil to further add to it's slimy feel.

Fubuki took the sandwich, and Hell Kaiser's hand headed back towards the cart ready to get another package. It froze however, as Fubuki lifted the bun to his nose and sniffed it. Surely he didn't need to do that to smell the thing?

Then he took a bite out of it. Chewing thoughtfully for a while before swallowing it. He looked up at Hell Kaiser, Seiko and Tome, who was watching from the card counter. Then he nodded.

"This is what I like," he answered, "I'm glad you could find it out."

He took out his PDA, ready to send the message to Samejima that he was ready to change partners. But Hell Kaiser stopped his hand.

"I believe we could duel together for a while longer," he said confidently. Something that Fubuki firmly agreed to.

And so the two fussiest eaters left the kitchen. The cooks were very thankful not to see them there again.


	60. Shou/Kenzan (feat. Juudai/Manjoume)

"Juudai…"

Shou's gaze dropped to the floor as the door shut in front of him. He knew his friend would never intentionally hurt him, but he couldn't help feeling betrayed all the same.

The sound of movement startled Shou and caused him to whirl around, to see Kenzan reclining on one of the sofas. He looked so relaxed. Did he miss the event that had taken place?

The muscular teenager was watching him with some interest, so he found his voice to ask, "Aren't you mad about what just happened?"

"Mad? Nah," Kenzan replied casually, "Sure, I'm disappointed, but I'll get over it. It's not like Juudai was the only good thing going on in my life, and any excuse to pummel Manjoume more is a good excuse. Why, are _you_ mad?"

Shou coughed, trying to hide his upset as he returned his gaze to the floor. As much as he didn't want Kenzan to think he was pathetic, he couldn't stop himself from crying at the moment.

Despite his low tolerance of Shou, it was hard for Kenzan not to feel a bit sorry for him. After all, even though he hated to admit it, Shou's affections for Juudai were stronger then his own and had been obvious to everyone except, apparently, Juudai. It was pitiful to see the poor guy look so sad…

"Hey, don't be like that," he said, pulling himself up to rest on his elbows, so he could see Shou better, "In life you don't always get what you want. So you can't bring yourself down because one guy you liked went off with someone else. The next guy might be right around the corner and you just haven't noticed him yet."

Shou managed to put on a smile. If Kenzan could be so strong and carefree about this, then so could he.

He walked over to his rival and said, "You're actually pretty wise."

Hiding his flattery at the compliment with a chuckle, Kenzan continued, "You might want to be more forward next time, though. I mean, you've liked the guy for two years now without saying a word about it to him."

"Forward… Yes…" Shou muttered in a distracted kind of way. He was trying to think of the guy around the corner. He had a feeling he already knew who…

Kenzan could never be bothered to wait for Shou to finish thinking, so he put one of his strong arms around Shou's frail body and pulled him onto the sofa with him.

"Kenzan! What are you doing?" Shou demanded, freaking out completely.

"Guiding you 'round the corner," he answered, spitting his tongue out playfully.


	61. Ryo/Fubuki

"It's just great to be back in my own room!" Fubuki said, gleefully heading into the blue dorm.

Ryo followed close behind him and corrected, "Actually, this is my room."

"Same difference," his friend commented, "Just being back on my feet after spending so long in hospital is making me happy right now."

Despite his usual cold nature, Ryo couldn't help but smile to see him so happy. After Darkness was defeated, Fubuki had been unconscious for a while. The first day he'd woke up he was very weak, but now, only a day later, he was bouncing around like the same Fubuki he'd been classmates with a year before this happened. It was as if nothing had changed.

He took to a seat, while Fubuki was staring eagerly out of his window at the bright sunlight shining on the academy.

"See they haven't cut down that tree," Fubuki said, without looking away from the window.

"Yeah," Ryo answered, "I didn't want them to get rid of it. But it still causes problems; Juudai used it to climb into my room once."

Fubuki grinned, "I used to do that," he reminded.

Ryo blushed and nodded. In the absence, he'd forgotten how flirty Fubuki could be.

Before he'd noticed, Fubuki was standing next to him again, smiling down at him in a dangerous way.

"Did you miss me while I was gone?" he asked.

Trying not to look directly into his eyes, Ryo said, "Miss you constantly distracting me from my work and getting me into trouble all the time? Miss that you always managed to get as higher grades as I did, despite that you never studied? Miss you sneaking in here during the night?"

A huffy pout quickly appeared on Fubuki's face.

"Of course I missed you," concluded Ryo with honesty.

"Knew it!" called his friend, snapping out of his pout as quickly as he'd gone into it. He took to the other end of the seat and laid back across Ryo's lap, knowing it would annoy him.

But Ryo was not annoyed by it. He stroked Fubuki's hair in an uncharacteristic display of affection, hoping Fubuki wouldn't point that out.

"Just… try not to let yourself fall to the dark side like that again," he said.

"No promises there," said Fubuki without hesitation, "That vampire lady sounded pretty hot. If she wanted me to go to the dark side than-"

"Fubuki!"

"Fine, fine," he gave in, "If it keeps you happy then I'll not doing anything insane for at least a day or two."

"But that wouldn't be you…" mused Ryo, "…And I want you to stay the way you are, even with your lunacy."


	62. Edo/Johan

Edo was very accustomed to getting what he wanted in life. Because of this, he'd developed an exterior that mostly prevented all guilt based upon his actions from reaching him. He was brilliant, so as far as he was concerned, nothing he did was wrong or worthy of guilt.

But he couldn't stop himself feeling a pang of guilt as he watched Johan. It wasn't that his attraction towards Johan was not genuine; it was the reasons for his attraction that bothered him.

Johan was just like Juudai. And truth be told, Edo knew he was probably still in love with Juudai, despite him not being an option now. So his current attraction to Johan was like an escape route to get away from Juudai.

But dating someone so much like Juudai obviously didn't put his previous crush out of his mind. He should have thought of that more before agreeing to go out with Johan…

"Is something wrong?" Johan asked, watching Edo with mild suspicion.

"No, nothing's wrong," Edo lied easily; he had a reputation to uphold, after all.

He walked over to his partner and pushed him down. Exerting dominance was something that Edo enjoyed and would at least take his mind off Juudai for a bit.

Struggling to get up Johan, yelped, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Admiring your beautiful face up close," Edo answered grinning. Although it sounded pretty corny, he knew the compliment would hit home. Edo could read and influence people easily.

Blushing at the comment, Johan opened and closed his mouth a few times, in an attempt to think of a comeback.

Watching him with amused glee, Edo had to admit, he did find blue hair more attractive than brown.


	63. Juudai & Fubuki

Juudai sniffled in a defeated way.

He hated being sick, but more than that, he hated be left alone. Contrary to popular opinion, he didn't actually hate class. Regardless of sleeping through most of it, he liked being around other people. And when he was off ill and everyone else was in class, he was not around other people.

Or was he?

It had just occurred to him there was another breathing pattern that did not match his own. He presumed it would be Pharaoh and looked up to the rafters where the cat often lurked.

He was greeted by a face that did not belong to Pharaoh.

Fubuki Tenjoin was lying with his head propped up on his arms watching Juudai. He was another creature known to lurk among the rafters, although mostly Fubuki lurked where you didn't expect to see him. He made a habit of it.

"Um, how long have you been up there for?" Juudai asked, blinking.

"A while, guess I must have dozed off," came the answer, as Fubuki swung into a sitting position, then gracefully lowered himself down to the floor.

Though he was glad of the company, Juudai couldn't help but ask why Fubuki wasn't in class. He didn't want the other student to get into trouble on his account, but then, Fubuki didn't seem to follow the same timetable as the rest of the academia. It was hard to tell if he had a free period or if he just didn't feel like going in today. He made a mental note to ask Ryo later, as he was almost sure the other boy was in the same class as Fubuki.

"I thought it'd be more important to see what's wrong with you first," Fubuki commented, casually shrugging off Juudai's question.

"I'm sick…" Juudai answered, there didn't seem much else to it.

"That doesn't sound like you," Fubuki mused aloud, walking over, "Usually, even if you're not feeling well, you're still running around."

"Manjoume said it'd be best if I rest," Juudai replied. His rival had been pretty strict on that point.

Fubuki couldn't help but laugh at this.

"And since when do you take orders from Manjoume?" he asked.

Looking a little embarrassed at Fubuki's laughter, Juudai said, "Sometimes its better to listen to him than to have him mad at you."

"You really _are_ ill," said Fubuki with certainty, "Usually pestering Manjoume is one of your favourite pastimes."

He put his hand on Juudai's forehead to check his temperature.

"If you're not going to class, can you keep me company?" Juudai asked, worried that if he stayed quiet too long, Fubuki would lose interest and wander off.

"Sure, I'd love to," replied Fubuki, sitting himself on the bed next to Juudai. He noticed the blanket had been discarded and pulled it back around the younger student, before cuddling him to keep him warm.

Usually Fubuki's intimate approach towards people unnerved Juudai a little, and even now, he felt a little worried to be this close to him, but it was comfort. And right now that was what he wanted.


	64. Ryo/Fubuki (feat. Shou/Momoe)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki didn’t expect questions about his singing to lead to discussion about Ryo’s future wedding.

"Can everyone at the back hear the fabulous voice of the star at the front?"

There was a general murmur of half hearted confirmation from technicians who'd worked here too long to care for Fubuki's attitude anymore. Generally most people just said 'testing, one two three' into the microphone, but Fubuki didn't get famous by being like anyone else.

Annoying his co-workers was just one of the many perks of his job, as far as Fubuki was concerned. Other perks involved annoying his co-stars, annoying his guests, annoying the press, and annoying… his closest friend?

He turned to see the leather clad form of Ryo watching from off-screen, arms folded and looking as unapproachable as it was possible for him to be.

It wasn't as if Ryo never came to the studio, it just wasn't usual for him. But the former Pro League star was rarely easy to predict, even for someone who knew people as well as Fubuki did. However, his presence was not a problem, so Fubuki would continue the show without worrying too much about it.

What he was concerned about right now was his upcoming performance on the Bucky Show.

As the audience started to walk in, he stayed on stage, waving cheerfully at random people who were amazed to see _the_ Fubuki Tenjoin in person. He never tired of seeing people smile at him. Those years of idol training had finally paid off and he got to be the show duellist that he'd always wanted. The Pro Leagues might not have been for him, but people loved him just as much here as they loved the stars there.

The show went as smoothly as usual, with only the slight nagging feeling in the back of his head that Ryo was watching him and probably thinking of how immature he was. Not that this bothered Fubuki, either. Both of them had gotten where they wanted to be in life their own way, and he really thought that Ryo was a bit stuck up, personally, so they were even.

When today's episode had come to a close, he took a bow, before the curtain fell shut. He wouldn't be doing any encores today; he had Ryo to talk to.

"So, what brings you to my lair?" He smirked, walking over. It looked like Ryo had not moved at all throughout the performance.

Looking across, Ryo answered, "Am I not allowed to come and watch you perform if I feel like it?" And that would be the best he'd get out of him for now.

"Of course, you're always welcome here," dismissed Fubuki, walking past him to the door of his dressing room and motioning for Ryo to follow, "It's just that it's not really usual for you to come. Manjoume, Juudai or even Johan sure, but you… not so much. This is hardly your scene, is it?"

Gesturing around the room, it was easy to see why. Even Fubuki's changing room had so much glitter in it that it would make a disco ball envious. This sort of set up was probably why Ryo and his own sister Asuka didn't come here a lot, even though they were two of the people that Fubuki cared most about in the world. In a way, he was glad of that though, he liked having this part of his life separate from them.

Not taking the seat that was offered to him, Ryo answered, "I was just confirming that something those tabloids said was a lie, that was all."

"You don't need evidence for that, Ryo," Fubuki agreed, "Most of what those papers print are lies, and that's why I love them so much. Was it the one that had the rumour I fake all my duels? Or the one that said I was having an affair with that assistant? Come on, one date hardly counts as anything, let alone an affair."

"No, I know your duels are real," said Ryo, knowing that it was better to stay as far away from the subject of Fubuki's love life as possible, "It was something more subtle than that."

He took out the paper and opened it to the entertainment section.

Fubuki noted briefly that he hadn't made it to the cover, but then he hadn't done anything particularly scandalous recently. There was a huge photo of him on the one double page spread at least, which was good enough.

He scanned over the page, murmuring different parts of the text out loud, "…Duellist sensation… …Is there anything he can't do? …He sings, he dances, he acts… …blah, blah, blah…" he looked up at Ryo before confirming, "This is hardly outside of the ordinary for them to print. If anything, it's too general to mean any harm."

"But it does lie," answered Ryo, directing his finger over to the paragraph that stated all of the talents Fubuki had, "You don't sing."

This took Fubuki aback for a moment, but when he thought about it, he realised his friend was right. The terms sing, dance and act were used together so often around him that he dismissed what they really meant, and now that he thought about it, he hadn't particularly sung on the show before.

"That is right," replied Fubuki, "But what's the big deal about it? I show my audience a good deal of other things, singing is hardly missed much when you can fly through the sky like I can."

Ryo went on, "It's not that I'm pulling you up on not singing, it's just that I'm curious as to why you don't. It's not as if you can't."

"I guess… it just never feels like the right moment, you know? If I sing, then I'd want it to be for something really special, like a wedding or a birthday or something. If I sung every week on the show, then it would hardly have any impact when I sing later. I'm far from a one-trick pony, but I'd still like to have some aces up my sleeve." That was the best way he could put the reasoning he had in his mind into words.

"It does make sense that way, and it actually ties into the reason that I've come here," Ryo said.

"Oh?" Fubuki loved gossip. Ryo was one person who never provided him with any. So if that was going to change for once, then he was more than willing to stop talking and listen.

In an almost business-like tone Ryo revealed, "I want you to sing at a wedding."

_"What!"_

Fubuki coughed wildly, grasping at the jug of water on his desk and downing a few gulps, before stopping for air. Ryo rubbed his back, awkwardly.

Ryo, the Hell Kaiser Ryo, his best friend Ryo, was going to get married and he hadn't even told him! How could he not mention it before? He hadn't even said that he'd got a partner in the past, let alone got engaged. Fubuki mentally cursed his bad luck for having left Ryo to his own business for so long. He had to admit that he'd intended to pursue Ryo himself one day, but always presumed that Ryo would be single and hadn't rushed.

Putting on the best fake smile he could muster from years of learning how to smile in a false manner, he looked up at Ryo and said, "So who's the lucky lady, then?"

Confused at the over the top reaction, Ryo seemed reproachful for a moment, before saying, "…Momoe."

"Really? She doesn't seem like your type," said Fubuki, and that statement was not only out of his mouth before he could stop it but was also genuine. Momoe was a nice enough girl, but she liked flirting and all things that were cute. It was hard to imagine her even holding a conversation with Ryo for a few minutes, let alone choose to spend the rest of her life with him.

"She's not, but the choice is hardly mine," said Ryo calmly, in a voice that suggested he's come to terms with having to spend a lot of talking about kittens and other such subjects that he had no interest in.

"It's completely your choice!" snapped Fubuki, "If you're going to marry her and spend the rest of your life with her, you should at least think about how compatible you're going to be."

And Ryo laughed.

It was a rare sound, and one that in another situation would have seemed attractive to Fubuki.

"I'm not marrying Momoe," he said, when he'd finished.

Now it was Fubuki's turn to look completely lost.

"Shou is marrying Momoe, and she asked me to arrange some of the entertainment so it would be a surprise for him. Admittedly, wedding entertainers aren't something I'm well versed in but… I thought that, since it's more your field, perhaps you could help." If anything it seemed as if he was regretting this thought now.

What Ryo wasn't expecting was for Fubuki to hug him close, letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'll sing at Shou's wedding," he said, "I'll dance at the wedding, heck, I'll even write out little table cards welcoming all the guests to the wedding of Shou & Momoe, just as long as it's not _your_ wedding I'm doing any of that for."

There was a silent pause, in which Fubuki wondered how long he could keep hold of Ryo for before he was pushed off.

Then…

"Why won't you do any of that for my wedding?"

Now Fubuki laughed, heartily.

"Oh, we'll see when you get there, Ryo. We'll see."


	65. Asuka, Fubuki & Ryo (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asuka realised what’s she’s going to lose at the end of her first year.

Asuka was not a person who was used to the feeling of anything much.

She was a very solitary person, who had a large value for personal space. If someone was so much as five feet away from her, then as far as she was concerned, that space was invaded.

As a result of this, not a lot of people ever touched Asuka.

She was thankful that she'd obtained this sort of respect. Although she'd gathered a horde of male admirers during her first year, all of them kept at least some distance from her. Even her closest female friends, Momoe and Junko, though they were touchy-feely sort of girls who liked hugging, generally gave her that distance. The only time she could recall one of them touching her was when Junko had hugged her after escaping from her kidnapping by SAL. Other than that, no one touched Asuka.

Because of that, she didn't have much of a feel for textures. The female Obelisk Blue uniform didn't have much of an impact in regards to texture. It was so small that it hardly even counted; she'd thought that a lot of times when she'd felt like complaining about it. Though it was comfortable to wear, she wanted to look respectable. Which is hard to do when the world is staring at your bare legs.

Right now though, she did feel the material that was put over her shoulders. It felt soft, like new cotton that had never been worn before, but it smelled homely. Like the living room of her own house, so far away from the academia. She mused that it had been a long time since she'd thought about anything that wasn't at Duel Academia.

Looking up from where she was sat, she saw the figure of her brother sit down next to her, swinging his legs over the edge of the dock.

They were at a lighthouse, and it was nighttime. The flare of the bulb shone around, illuminating the dark waters out to sea. This was where she wanted to be more than anywhere else. She hadn't told anyone she was coming here, and to anyone else, it would seem like an odd place to go, but people who knew Asuka knew the lighthouse. Her brother Fubuki knew her better than anyone.

She pulled the blanket close, it was cold out here, but she chose to be difficult and not start a conversation with him.

No matter, Fubuki was an expert at conversations.

"I thought I'd find you here after the match was over. Not looking forward to the time off?" he asked.

She sulked for a few moments, but inevitably answered, "Things are going to be different in the second year." She left it that that.

"Well of course, but things are going to be different every year," said Fubuki, "There'll be a new first year, who you might find friends among, and when you graduate in your third year, they could be sitting out moping about you going, too."

…How had he somehow hit the nail on the head that she was upset about Ryo from the vague statement she'd made?

"But this isn't right…" it was all she could reason in her mind, "If things had happened how they should have done, then you'd be graduating with him, and…"

And she would have never had a reason to become close to Ryo. Their friendship had been formed over the mutual goal of wanting to find Fubuki.

For someone who had just been accused of being held back for two years due to reasons that weren't his fault, Fubuki looked very understanding. He stood up, putting one hand against the side of the lighthouse thoughtfully.

"If things had gone differently, then it would have been me standing next to this lighthouse with him instead of you, or maybe even all three of us here together. But there is not a right way for things to happen and we must accept that the world might push us in a direction that's unexpected and work with that."

The statement hit Asuka home, but didn't surprise her as much as it would have done someone else. She knew that Fubuki had some depth to him when he wanted to. He just rarely showed this to others.

"But not now, because he's gone now," she said stubbornly, pulling the warm blanket around her shoulders and over her chest.

A hand was put on her shoulder.

She started. That was the second time today that she'd felt a touch that was unexpected to her, she didn't want there to be a third.

As she turned to tell Fubuki to back off, she was greeted with the face of Ryo. A blank face, but eyes that contained understanding and some pity. She flushed, unused to being touched by him of all people, and by the time she looked up again, he had taken his hand off her shoulder.

"We can be together for one night," he said, looking from one sibling to the other.

"But I thought you were coming over to mine tonight, like old times," pouted Fubuki. The Tenjoins could be as stubborn as each other sometimes.

"I'd rather be here with the both of you, like present times," said Ryo smiling fondly at Fubuki.

Asuka looked up at them from where she sat. They were willing to give up the last chance they'd have to relive their first year together for her. Well, Ryo was. And she knew that deep down, Fubuki would do, too. That was probably why he'd come out here in the first place.

Suddenly she felt selfish.

And she did notice how Ryo's hand rested momentarily on Fubuki's arm before he jerked it away, remembering she was there. _But I'm not blind or stupid Ryo,_ she thought to herself.

"You don't have to do that," she said, standing up herself now.

"But we want to," said Fubuki quickly, and she appreciated that they didn't want her to feel unwanted.

"Yes, but this is also the last time that I'll get to see my other friends before the end of term," she said firmly, "Junko, Momoe and myself will be talking about girly stuff, the two of you won't be interested at all."

She turned to leave, and heard Fubuki start to protest that whatever a girl was going to talk about, he would be interested in, but was silenced by Ryo.

"I hope to see you again soon, Asuka, regardless of what the future holds," Ryo said finally.

She nodded, though she didn't turn to look at him. Whatever him and Fubuki were planning to do for the rest of the night was outside of her hands now.

But, as she left, she did keep the towel that Fubuki had put on her. The soft, homely feel would forever make her think of the special friendship the three of them had shared.


	66. Saiou (feat. Edo, Ryo & Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saiou foresaw most things, and what he couldn’t foresee annoyed him.

Saiou knew a lot more about Juudai's collective of friends than that collective knew that he knew.

He knew more about them than even the duellist he managed, Edo Phoenix, was aware of.

Because of this, Saiou delighted in the look on Edo's face when he was caught by surprise, such as when Saiou told him to lose to Juudai on purpose. It was obvious that Edo had no understanding of why Saiou wanted him to lose to this boy. He didn't even know who Juudai was, but Saiou knew.

He knew about them all.

Manjoume, the boy who would fall first to Saiou's control, he knew of. This boy he had seen to have a strong desire to defeat the one known as Juudai, strong enough to blind him to other things. Easy prey.

Asuka would follow Manjoume, whether consciously or not. Saiou had seen that future and knew it would come to pass. She would be a strong figure to rally the females as Manjoume would rally the males.

Misawa would be the third to fall, due to his lust to be appreciated by others. To stop himself from being forgotten, he would bathe in the pure light at Saiou's command.

Shou stood by Juudai's side. Shou would continue to stand by Juudai's side right up until Juudai perished at the hands of Saiou. Then he, too, would die. This boy did not trouble him too much.

And those were all of Juudai's current friends that he needed to consider at the moment. He was aware of another, Tyranno Kenzan, who he foresaw arriving and being adopted into the group. But at the moment, these four were the core of the loyal choir.

Except for… except for two others.

Saiou frown at the thought of them. In his mind, as he watched over the events of Juudai's life in the academia, he could picture the group of them, including the boy, Hayato, who had just left, but there were two figures he could not see at all. They were always hazy to him. Although he knew they were there, because a section of his image was always obscured when they were around.

One of them had been there from almost the start, but thankfully wasn't a regular occurrence in the group. He tended to appear with the girl, but most of the time, she wasn't the one to take Saiou's interest. From what he could gather, the boy, Shou, felt much discomfort towards this mysterious figure.

The second one didn't turn up until after… that time.

He cringed at the thought of that particular memory. The being of Darkness would arrive at that academia, but the being prevented Saiou's sight from watching its affairs. However, it seemed that Darkness was not strong enough at that time either and Juudai emerged from that fight victorious. All the more reason for Saiou to keep his eye on Juudai.

And from that duel, the new figure emerged, this one clouded in Darkness. It could only be that this boy had been the host Darkness had used, and that both explained why Saiou was blind to his image and why that boy could never be brought to the Light. But no matter. For all he cared, Darkness could wallow within his human host, weakened until Saiou saw fit time to deal with him. Juudai came first.

But he'd be lying to himself if he said these two figures didn't bother him, Darkness's host and the 'question mark'. For that reason, he sought out information upon them. Something that he did not do lightly, as Saiou trusted no other source than his own visions that the Light was gracious enough to grant for him, but he wanted a visual. He wanted to say that these were the two people who's futures he could not see at this time.

Eventually the images were found through Edo. Saiou used the boy's eyes as his own. He watched Edo crush one of the sources with much satisfaction at a Pro League match, the boy, Ryo Marufuji. And seeing this boy made Saiou understand a lot about him. Ryo was blinded by his own moral high ground, but deep down, there was an anger waiting to surface. As far as Saiou could tell, Ryo did not play a part in the upcoming dominance of the Light, but he took great pleasure in using Edo to start the ball rolling that would lead to the child's complete corruption. Even if that corruption would not be at Saiou's hands.

The other one, the host of Darkness, Saiou saw when Edo became closer to Juudai, as this person, Fubuki Tenjoin, was part of Juudai's group. He hid his connection to the Darkness well through a mask of cheerfulness. You could hardly associate one with the other. And Saiou would appreciate this cunning, up until a time came when he was required to crush Fubuki.

And so time, went on. And the future became the present, before becoming the past. But _Saiou's_ future did not come to pass. No, it had never been his future. He knew now that it was a creation the Light of Destruction had shown to him and made him believe was his own. Juudai, the boy who had defied destiny, had destroyed that future.

Saiou was sent to a hospital, where he stayed for a long while after the event, but overall, he was content knowing he wouldn't see any futures now, real or otherwise.

He was less than content when, one time, the boy who had once called him a manager, Edo, came to see him with others. Not that Edo visiting him in itself was strange, but he'd never expected to see with his own eyes the people Edo brought with him.

Framed by the doorway, clearly awaiting Edo to talk with Saiou first, before coming forward themselves, were the two blanks in the visions. Ryo, now dressed him heavy black, and Fubuki, in the most tropical shirt Saiou had ever seen.

While he tried to talk with Edo, his eyes kept crossing over to where they stood, until eventually Edo gave in and called them over.

"This is Hell Kaiser Ryo, the guy that Zweinstein wants to duel to create the energy," said Edo, "That's why we can't stay long. The other guy is some tagalong that can't seem to leave Ryo alone for five minutes. I think his name was Fubuki or something." It was clear from his manner of talking that Edo well knew the name of this person, but purposely pretended he didn't to annoy Fubuki. Saiou didn't need to see the future to know how Edo worked.

He didn't really contribute to the conversation from there on, except that Edo mostly talked to him while making a few snippy comments towards Fubuki here and there. Ryo talked less than Saiou even, mostly standing next to Fubuki and looking out of place against the pale hospital scenery. But through that meeting, Saiou saw them for what they really were, not beings corrupted by anything, but people. People who had lived and had as much freedom as he or Edo did. He appreciated this closure on part of his mind that had been troubling him and was sad when they had to leave.

He stroked his hand against Edo's, just once, before the three left. He could not see any visions, but a feeling in the pit of his stomach said to him that it might be a long time before he could see the boy again.

As they walked from the room, he saw Fubuki do something similar to Ryo's hand. Perhaps they could be their own individuals now, but perhaps the beings of Darkness and Light had forever left a mark upon Fubuki and himself.

Or perhaps some visions just come from being a human who loves.


	67. Ryo/Fubuki (feat. various)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The core of Juudai’s group of friends were discussing dreams at a sleepover. Surely Fubuki had the weirdest dreams of all?

Did he ever dream of madness?

That was an odd question, but then, he'd not really prepared himself for normal questions over the years.

The whole event should have seemed childish to him, but after their third year, which was his… um, was it fifth year? Fourth year? He had trouble remembering now. But anyway, after that year, when everything had been so dark and serious, a little bit of childishness didn't hurt at all. If anything, he was known as the one to promote immature behaviour, but that last year had even stretched him out thin.

So here they were, having a sleepover, like kids would do.

Not everyone was there, but for the most part, it was the core of the loyal friends, sans Juudai. As soon as anyone had any idea where Juudai had got to, they'd all be more content. For the moment, it was him and his sister, Asuka, which made sense since, it was their house they were using, Shou, Rei, Kenzan and Manjoume, who had turned up because he couldn't say no to Asuka. Hayato was always too busy now, but Fubuki had heard talk that a few of them were heading out to see him soon. Ryo didn't come. That had been a setback to Fubuki, who'd not had much chance to see him lately, but really he hadn't expected him to. Ryo had a lot to do setting up Shou to enter the Pro Leagues. Most people who hadn't shown up were too busy to come.

A small group was probably better anyway; it would give people more space to sleep in. Not to mention this might be the last time the friends would be all together before Asuka went to America, so she'd probably appreciate the smaller group.

They had eaten snacks, and sung songs, until the Tenjoins' father had complained about the noise, then they were reduced to just talking in whispers, but it had still been entertaining. Then the subject of dreams had turned up. It was one of the staples of sleepover conversations, along with ghost stories, so it had been expected.

Everyone had tales to tell about the odd dreams that they'd had.

Rei seemed to have a lot of dreams about the future wedding she'd planned with Juudai, or else she was good at making it up. Either way, Fubuki noted that this didn't strike the right cord with Asuka, and Fubuki didn't help by offering to play the music at any wedding Rei might have.

The other dreams were more vague, except in Manjoume's case, who remembered quite vividly the nightmare he'd had recently about being chased by a giant version of Ojama Yellow, who in his dream, had been wearing Asuka's uniform. This got the angry glance of Asuka transferred from the cheerful Rei to the horrified Manjoume. Who then assured her quickly that the uniform was fine, it was just Ojama Yellow wearing it that was the problem. He probably wouldn't be forgetting that dream for a while.

After he'd stuttered to a halt, Kenzan cleared his throat loudly to move the group onto the next subject of his own dream. Everyone had seen the word 'dinosaurs' floating in the air before he even said it, but his dreams had actually been more unusual than they'd expected. Because of his DNA, Kenzan had dreams that were somewhat of a mix between human thoughts and animal thoughts. They leaned more on the human side, but they certainly could have given an insight into what sort of dreams dinosaurs might have had, if they'd had any. He'd also had a dream about being a dinosaur buried in the mud, while Jim trying to dig him up with a pickaxe. That made them laugh.

Shou was less willing to talk about his dreams. As he shuffled awkwardly where he sat, it was clear that he'd had some dreams about the cards he liked, such as the Black Magician Girl. But he assured them that he was certainly over _that_ crush now. Definitely. Without a doubt. Honest.

To get Shou out of the hot water he was further boiling for himself, Asuka started talking about her dream. She had no visions of romance, but had been a performer in an ice skating ballet. To start with, she had been at the back, while others performed in front of her, but in the dream she'd passed them all to take on the leading role of the show. People hand clapped and she had received awards for her performance. She hoped this was a sign of bright things to come in the future.

With them all being finished, they turned to Fubuki, who had been oddly quiet throughout. Surely he had the strangest dreams of them all. With all the fruity mishaps he got up to during the day, he must think of even more impossible things during the night. Did he have a whole choir of grass-skirt wearing ukulele players? Did he fix the love lives of thirty people just by pointing at them? Did he really fly without any cords attached?

But he just shook his head and told them his dreams weren't very interesting.

This surprised them all. They'd been looking forward to it. But then, it was getting late now and he'd probably be more talkative in the morning.

Saying their various 'goodnights' to each other, everyone slinked off to the beds and sleeping bags that they'd been provided with, before dozing off at their own paces.

After they had gone, Fubuki looked up at the ceiling, reflecting on his dreams to himself.

His dreams weren't like his life at all. He lived madness through the day, both the insanity that he inflicted upon himself and whatever impossible trap the rest of the world set up for those who had attended Duel Academia. It didn't bother him, or at least he thought it didn't, but somehow he still had dreams of a life that was very normal.

In his dreams, he lived in a house, he had a pet cat and went to a job everyday that he could be certain he'd come back from at night, no risks involved. The Fubuki of the conscious world would have cried out that this was far too boring for him, but the subconscious Fubuki seemed to like it just fine.

And in his dreams, things hadn't happened how they'd happened. His friends were all still around, including Juudai. Asuka had found herself a nice person to settle down with, which he was beginning to accept in the waking world she didn't want to do, and he had… he had a house… and Ryo.

His former best friend. Ryo wasn't his best friend in the dreams, either, but that was because they had become closer and not because they'd drifted apart. Him and Ryo together. Maybe that was the part of his dream that was crazy.

He closed his eyes and let the thoughts drift from his mind, returning once more to the unusually normal world of his own creation.


	68. Misawa (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misawa had never realised that the elite students were so… strange. And more than a bit nosy.

"What are you doing in my bedroom!" demanded Misawa. It was the first time he'd ever asked that question before, including in any secret thoughts he may or may not still be having about Taniya.

"Juudai told me about your walls, so I wanted to come see what they looked like," said Fubuki contentedly, as if randomly turning up in someone's room without their permission was nothing outside of the ordinary for him. In the back of Misawa's mind a voice said it probably _wasn't_ anything outside of the ordinary for him.

"And I was just here to make sure he didn't cause any bother," Ryo said. Who at least had the dignity to sound as he felt this small-scale breaking and entering was wrong.

"Yes, well now you've seen them, you can get out!" Misawa went on, pointing them both to the door.

Ignoring him completely, Fubuki got up from the bed and walked over to one of the walls for a closer inspection.

"What sort of markers are you using? I've got a few messages I'd like to write on a few people's walls myself…"

Ryo looked at Misawa in a silent plea to not tell Fubuki what sort of markers he had, but Misawa had no intention of doing so anyway.

"I'm sure they're nothing outside of the regular ones," he replied instead, having admittedly not checked the brand, "Now, if you have nothing else to say, then can you please just go?"

"Why do you write in equations?"

"I like equations." The statement was defensive.

"What does all this mean?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Why don't you just use a whiteboard instead of repainting your walls so often?"

"Well, ah…" Misawa had to admit he didn't have an answer for that.

"The only whiteboards here are provided by the academia," Ryo cut in, "If he took one, then he'd have to have a good explanation about why he wanted it."

Misawa was thankful for the save, but he was still too annoyed about Ryo joining Fubuki in this charade in the first place to look too grateful for it.

Now that he thought about it, he really didn't know the two elite students very well at all, least of all well enough for them to be here like this. He'd known Ryo as the top student and one of his fellow key-bearers when the Seven Stars had attacked, but beside having a good deal of respect for the guy, that was about it. Fubuki, he knew even less of. He was Asuka's brother and someone she'd tried very hard to rescue, but he was still something of an enigma to Misawa. They were both elite students, and for that reason, Misawa had viewed them in his head as being serious, studious people. _Everyone_ who was successful in life was a serious, studious person, Misawa had always thought.

But as Ryo leaned forward to inspect a particular formula that Fubuki was pointing at, Misawa was starting to see that they weren't very much like how he'd thought of them at all. He was a bit disappointed.

"No, he has got that right," mumbled Ryo, cutting Misawa out of his pitied train of thought. He now listened to them with interest.

"But it can't equal what he's saying if that's seventy-four," Fubuki replied, sounding a lot stricter than he had done a few minutes ago.

In response, Ryo said, "Because it's not seventy-four. What you think is a seven is actually the letter 'T', so what it actually says is 'T4'."

There was a stern pause, as Fubuki had a better look at the wall.

"Oh, you're right! My fault, should have paid more attention to his handwriting," he agreed, sounding more like the light-hearted Fubuki once more.

It was all Misawa could do to keep his mouth shut and try not to gawp as he listened.

"You actually understand that?" he mouthed hopelessly.

"If we didn't, then why would I have wanted to see what you'd written in the first place?" asked Fubuki, and Misawa felt a swell of pride inside him that the elite students thought his equations were worthy of looking at, but that was soon dampened when Fubuki added, "Plus I wanted to see if you'd left any hidden messages in them about girls or whatever."

He winked, and Misawa's face when indignantly red.

"I-I think you both should leave now!" he stuttered.

The two nodded, heading towards the door. He watched them, actually feeling a little disappointed that he hadn't had more of a chance to talk to them. But before they were gone completely, Ryo turned back to face him.

"And Misawa, I won't tell anyone about the secret message you did leave there," he confirmed, before walking off. This was much to the terror of Misawa and the interest of Fubuki, who mustn't have noticed it. Suddenly Misawa regretted presuming that he was the only person on the academia who could read his own writing.

"What message? What did it say?" he heard Fubuki say from outside, as he moved to the door to watch them go.

"If you didn't see for yourself, then I'm hardly going to tell you," said Ryo, sounding ever so slightly amused.

"Well, I'll have to sneak back in one night myself and find out, then," Fubuki said stubbornly, while Misawa made an instantaneous mental note to lock the door and window from now on, "But since we're here anyway, there's a few other Yellow students' rooms I'd like to investigate…"

"No, I told you that you weren't sneaking off to look at anyone's personal belongings," Ryo replied, calmly.

"You're no fun at all. Sometimes I don't know why I bring you to other people's rooms with me."

Misawa had to admit that, in light of what potential horror Fubuki could cause if let loose on his own, he was very glad that Ryo followed him around.


	69. Ryo, Fubuki & Ran

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were gathered to witness the burial of a great pet. Or at least Fubuki and Ryo were, Ran wasn't nearly as into it as them.

"We are gathered here today to honour the life of a great man," the boy began, in a voice that heavily implied he'd practised this speech earlier, but had only read it through once and was beginning to regret that fact now.

Ran sighed impatiently and tried to straighten out a crease in her skirt to distract herself. If it had not been that Ryo was coming to this as well, she wouldn't have bothered at all; she didn't owe this kid any favours. But she'd do anything to get Ryo's attention.

Including stand out in a place like this.

A 'black suit occasion' he'd said, hah! The young girl of eight had spent the whole of yesterday afternoon looking for some garment in her wardrobe that wasn't pink, and had eventually found something so plain that she'd be dead if any of her friends caught her wearing it. But she'd wear it for Ryo.

And they'd paid her back by dragging her out to the middle of nowhere. This place that was practically a dried up bog, with some trees and bushes surrounding it, all so she could watch a cardboard box be placed in a hole in the ground.

They both looked so serious about it. Her beloved Ryo and his stupid friend Fubuki. They stood over the box with their heads bowed, as Fubuki stated how much his pet had meant to him. It was a hamster! You could buy another one and still have some pocket money left over afterwards.

She voiced her opinion openly after the 'ceremony' had finished and the young Ryo was shoving earth over the hole with his hands. He was wearing the dojo uniform of his, such a shame he had to get a cute outfit dirtied on Fubuki's behalf, as far as Ran was concerned.

"He was not just a hamster!" Fubuki shot, in the defensive tone a child took when his pet was questioned, "He was… um, a really good hamster!"

Ran rolled her eyes. She'd seen older girls roll their eyes before and thought it looked cool.

"He's right you know," said Ryo, pulling himself onto his knees from where he had bent over the hole. _His_ opinion she'd listen to. "Rai had some real potential to be a really bright hamster. He could do tricks if you offered him the little biscuits from the food mix."

"And he had a really nice coat too," Fubuki added, "He used to sit still and let me stroke him with a comb. How many hamsters do you know that can do that?"

"I get it, your rodent was really great and you'll miss him," Ran said dismissively, "But why does that mean me and Ryo have to be here?"

"You came because you followed Ryo," said Fubuki darkly, and the two rivals glared at each other until Ryo cut in to answer Ran's question.

"He was special to me, too, I was there when Fubuki bought him," said Ryo, thinking this was a reasonable answer.

Nodding as if he'd suddenly been reminded of a distant, fond memory, Fubuki chimed, "Dad said that's because you pretty much live in our house. But mum doesn't mind, she says you're more polite than I am." He grinned as if this didn't bother him in the slightest.

"You could come to my house whenever you want, Ryo!" said Ran quickly; just to be sure that option was available.

"Maybe some other time," Ryo assured, too respectful to reject her flatly.

Getting back onto the point, Fubuki continued, "After we bought him, we both decided on the name Rai and we looked after him together. One time, I took Rai over to Ryo's house and his mum screamed."

"She thought he was a rat," agreed Ryo, starting to laugh, "I hope the noise didn't scare him too much."

"No, no, I practised playing my uku-ukulelele to him lots of times so he's used to that," assured Fubuki. Some day soon he'd learn how to pronounce the word 'ukulele', too.

The two of them went of reciting the history of this hamster to each other and Ran soon wished she hadn't asked. She was bored now, and not even Ryo was worth hanging around here for.

"Look, I'm going to go home now," she said, already retreating up the bank, "I'll see you in school tomorrow, Ryo. Oh, and you too." She added Fubuki as an afterthought.

They waved to her cheerfully, watching her retreat rather quicker than she usually did. After that, they stood in silence, watching the mound that they'd put Rai the hamster into.

"So… you're going away soon," said Fubuki, eventually.

"Yeah."

"It's sort of a good thing, not that he died, but that it happened before you left. I would have hated to have told you when you got back."

"Yeah."

Another pause, then, "Do you think we'll ever find another pet as good as him?"

"No." Ryo turned away as the sun was starting to set, "My family don't do pets anyway. But I really wouldn't want another one, even if we were allowed pets after him."

"There's no way he can be replaced," agreed Fubuki firmly, "But it's a shame… when you're not here and Rai's not here, I'll have to find something to do to fill the huge space of time."

"Maybe you could do what I'm doing," said Ryo.

"What, go up some cold mountain?"

"No, I mean play Duel Monsters," said Ryo, taking out some cards from his pocket for Fubuki to look at. They were dragons and related spells of all assorts.

After some consideration, Fubuki said, "Yeah, I think I will do that."

He took Ryo's hand and the two of them walked away from the resting site of their first and last pet.


	70. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki tried to find an offering for Ryo’s friendship at the fair. He’d always been a strange child like that.

"Truce!"

Ryo blinked in confusion as the hand was held out to him. He frowned down at it, knowing Fubuki rarely took 'no' for an answer.

Regardless of this, he knocked the hand to aside without shaking it.

"I don't see why it's worth the bother," he said flatly.

Now Fubuki's expression matched his own, which translated to 'Ryo wasn't going to get away that easily'. When Fubuki put his mind to something, or someone in this case, it could be guaranteed that he wouldn't give up until he'd achieved his goal.

"Come on, Ryo," he sighed, "I'm hardly going to pretend we're happily families and all that anymore, but we could at least be sociable now and then. Like it or not, we're probably being going to see more of each other when Shou gets to the Pro Leagues."

He was greeted by silence. Not even Ryo's facial expression moved an inch.

"What do you want from me, an offering?" Fubuki went on.

Raising an eyebrow, Ryo replied, "That would be going a bit far."

Fubuki grinned.

It was one of the few things that could make Ryo worried.

"Did you hear me?" he said, trying to at least snap Fubuki back from whatever mad idea he was thinking of.

"Oh, yes. Sure," lied Fubuki, turning to walk off.

Striding after him, Ryo demanded, "Where are you going?"

"To get an offering, and don't object, because I've got the perfect idea," Fubuki said slyly, making a dash for it before Ryo had the chance to respond or follow. The advantage of wearing shorts and a t-shirt over wearing several tons of leather was that shorts were generally more convenient for running in.

He couldn't run all the way from one end of Domino to the other, though, so as soon as Fubuki could, he found a bus to jump on. People gave him space as he sat down, due to his brightly coloured clothing, which was a shame, because Fubuki liked people a lot and could start a conversation with any random stranger he chose. There was something about people on buses and not wanting to talk, though. Maybe they were all going to work.

There was only one place in the city where he could find his offering. Well, probably more than one by now, but if you wanted the original cheap gift, then you had to go to the original expensive theme park.

As the bus stopped for the third time, Fubuki saw the screen flash 'KaibaLand' and knew it was time to get off. He was the only person to get off, which figured, since it was term time for most of those students. He'd been in the student category himself until quite recently.

Paying the man at the ticket booth, he headed in. He didn't get a day pass or pay for any of the extras, as he knew what he wanted and it wouldn't take that long. Once he made it past the lines for the roller coasters and other large attractions, a sign directed him to the gift shop, but Fubuki didn't go there. Gift shops were for wimps. Fubuki got his presents properly.

Eventually he located the section of KaibaLand where those clever amusement park managers tried to get extra money out of their guests - the 'penny arcade'. Ever popular and ever full of people, various mugs tried to shoot wooden cut outs of Kuribohs or hoop Sonic Ducks to win prizes.

Cheap and cheerful. Fubuki loved it here.

After scanning around, he located the prize that he wanted, in one of the infamous grab machines. Among a pile of other soft toys, this one was a perfect offering.

He checked the various pockets of his shorts for loose changed and managed to pull out a few coins. This would be a walk in the park for him, so to speak. Back in the day, he was really good at these machines. Or at least, he'd thought he was. In truth, he'd been just as bad at them as everyone else, but his mother was such a soft touch that she'd kept giving him change until he'd won. She'd never told him that.

Perhaps she should have done, because by the time Fubuki had spent all the change and broken into a note via the nearest vender, he was really started to feel disheartened that he'd lost his touch.

If anything, he reasoned with himself that he was at least edging the thing closer and closer to where he wanted it to be. Mindlessly, he inserted another coin.

Over by another counter, he was watched with interest by two of KaibaCorp's top employees. Normally, they were kept close to Mr. Kaiba, but today he had dismissed them early, so they'd come here to get some air until he undoubtedly needed them again.

Fuguta, the one with brown hair, leaned closer to Isono and said, "How long has that boy been here for?"

"About two hours," replied Isono, checking his watch.

"Those machines are rigged, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

They watched him for a while longer, silently making bets with each other upon when he'd lose his temper and start kicking the machine. But he didn't. He didn't even stop; he just seemed to get more disappointed with each failure.

"He's not going to leave until he gets it," said Fuguta, walking away from where he was stood over to the 'staff only' section of the games area. Isono followed him out of habit.

Everything in KaibaCorp was hi-tech or virtual, often both. Even the traditionally low-tech machines of a fair ground, while they kept their original appearance, were connected to a computer main frame. As the two men checked over the computer connected to Fubuki's grab machine, they saw that it had been rigged to give a winning grab once every ten turns. Considering how long Fubuki had been there for, it was obvious how bad he was at this.

They exchanged glances, knowing it wasn't their place, but the boy was just too pitiful to ignore. Isono typed in to set the machine to have a guaranteed win ratio. They both waited for a few moments. Then…

"Yes! I knew I had the magic touch!" Fubuki whooped from outside, then they heard his sandals crunching across the gravel as he ran away. When he was gone, they set the machine back to its original stats. What a strange boy.

At the other end of Domino, Ryo had just managed to get Fubuki out of his mind. Whatever he was planning, it didn't seem likely to affect Ryo's intentions for the rest of the day, so he carried on with his work. By the time that it had hit one o'clock, he decided to go to bed. His thoughts free of Fubuki.

The next morning he awoke and saw a smiling face watching him. He jumped, instantly remembering Fubuki. But this face was too furry to belong to Fubuki. It was orange, too.

Rubbing his eyes he grabbed a hold of the thing and read the tag that Fubuki had left on it.

_To Ryo, an offering to gain your friendship. Or should I say a token._

He stared down in disbelief at the cuddly toy Scapegoat Token that it was attached to. Only Fubuki would sneak into your room at the dead of night to leave a cuddly toy on your pillow.

Placing the thing to aside, Ryo thought that he'd wait until he'd received the other three tokens before he took Fubuki up on that offer. Because he could be difficult, too.


	71. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki panics about what to wear, because looking good is apparently very important. Ryo doesn’t seem to think so.

The most annoying thing about having a boyfriend like Fubuki?

It was a subject, Ryo was quite sure, that if brought up around Edo, then the silver boy would be able to list about twenty things off the top of his head and expect Ryo to agree with him. When in actual fact, most of those things wouldn't annoy Ryo.

By default, Fubuki was the sort of person who tried to drive on your nerves for amusement, but after being around him so long, Ryo had built up some sort of immunity to these traits. It was possibly what had helped their relationship to last for so long.

There was one thing in particular that really annoyed Ryo about Fubuki, however.

He mused this to himself as he sat on a chair, watching the back of Fubuki rummaging around in a wardrobe, before promptly throwing something purple to aside. Ryo was surprised at that, Fubuki loved the purple suit.

The thing that annoyed Ryo most about Fubuki was how long it took him to choose what to wear to go to a fancy occasion.

"I really don't think it matters too much," Ryo said, for the sake of conversation, "You could always just wear that."

Fubuki turned around long enough to see Ryo pointing at the purple suit, lying there on the floor. He looked as if Ryo had just suggested taking kindergarteners swimming in a piranha tank.

"You must be joking, do you know how old that is?" demanded Fubuki.

Stopping to think, Ryo had to admit; "You have had it since the academia."

"Exactly, and I wore it for a lot of episodes of the first season of the Bucky Show, too. Where we're going, people will _know_ that outfit, it'll be impossible making an impression while wearing that. Besides," he went on, in case there was still any doubt about how unsuitable the purple suit was, "It's been on the floor now, so it'll be all crumpled and need ironing."

He turned back to the wardrobe, and Ryo watched as other familiar garments went past; the blue suit, the ever loved Hawaiian shirt, that black one, the horrible other purple one, the all-too-fruity outfit, the please-don't-let-him-wear-that shirt. Ryo had an unusually simple way of describing to himself all the complicated clothing Fubuki owned.

Eventually, Fubuki threw his arms up in the air and sighed audibly.

"There is nothing here, absolutely nothing that will stun them!" he proclaimed, as if the higher powers of fashion had abandoned him in his hour of need.

"Why don't you not stun them, then?" asked Ryo calmly.

Another look that implied Ryo was suffering from sudden madness.

"These people have known us for years, they're expecting me to impress them," Fubuki said, disheartened, glancing over at the final group photo Rei had taken of them all on the last day of his academia year, "It's all right for you. You can wear anything and you'll be the amazing Kaiser. But people expect me to put too much effort into it."

He was right about Ryo, too. The other boy had pulled on a plain grey suit with a black shirt half an hour ago and still managed to look good. People expected Ryo to look plain, but impress them, and Fubuki had been correct about what they'd expected of him, as well.

"I'll repeat what I said before," Ryo told him, "For this day, it might be important not to dazzle everyone with your style and charm."

"This could be the most important day of Asuka's life," argued Fubuki dejectedly, then he caught the nod Ryo made at the sentence.

The most important day in _Asuka's_ life. Asuka, his hardworking younger sister, who had tried very hard to get what she'd wanted through effort and not looks. She had been willing all her life to let Fubuki take the role of the dazzling one, though he'd constantly told her she had potential. Maybe today was a day to step back and let her take the centre stage.

"I see what you mean…" he admitted, looking down on the floor at the rejected purple suit. It was a good suit, and pretty much all of their friends had seen it before. It would be easy to still be him wearing it, while not making Asuka look like less of a star on the day she final graduated to become a teacher.

"We'll need to iron it before we go now," he said to himself.

"That's all right, there's time," assured Ryo, who had known Fubuki enough to always prompt him to get ready at least two hours before going to an event like this. Maybe even three.

As the taxi pulled up outside of the house later, Fubuki adjusted his ruff carefully in the mirror. He looked over as Ryo walked up behind him, placing an arm over his shoulder. Purple and grey, who'd have thought it? They didn't look so bad standing next to each other in the mirror's reflection, though.

"I heard the taxi pull up," confirmed Fubuki, "And I'm ready to go."

A nod.

"You look good, by the way."

Fubuki froze up as Ryo turned to walk off. Ryo never commented on Fubuki's appearance. Perhaps simple style was the way to go after all.


	72. Juudai & Shou (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juudai had got it into his head to throw a surprise birthday party for Ryo, but as he and Shou came to act out his plan he found that he might be the one who’d be surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me it was his birthday during the school year?" Juudai asked, gleefully rushing on ahead, without worrying about being seen as much as he should have been.

"Because I knew you'd do something like this!" called Shou, who was more nervous and trying to maintain as much cover as possible as they headed for the Obelisk Blue dorm. Why couldn't it have been Hayato who had seen the present Shou was trying to wrap? Hayato wasn't the sort of person who'd insist that they had to go to Ryo's room and throw him a surprise birthday party!

But Hayato had been busy recently. Busier then he usually was. Or maybe, Shou thought guiltily, he'd been busy for sometime and they'd all been too distracted dealing with the Seven Stars to notice that he was.

Either way, Hayato had shut himself in a room and Shou was left lagging behind as Juudai reached the base of a tree.

"You can climb right into your brother's room from here," Juudai informed, "I did it once, back when I was trying to stop Rei getting caught there."

Shou nodded, using this pause to catch his breath.

When he'd done that, he pointed out, "Even if I could climb that, it'd be impossible to manage it with all this stuff."

He motioned to the bag he was trailing behind them. It contained streamers, brightly coloured hats, whistles, balloons and anything else Juudai could get his hands on to do with birthdays. Shou considered that Ryo would probably be a lot more grateful for this had he been seven years old, but the current Ryo probably wouldn't care much for decorations that had so many colours they challenged rainbows. Also, it would have been a lot easier to carry had Juudai not blown the balloons up beforehand, but he'd said this would save time.

"Don't worry, I can get that up the tree no problem," Juudai answered, and much to Shou's relief, took the pack from him to put on his shoulders, "Now, you better go first, so that I can catch you if you fall."

Nodding meekly, Shou stepped forward to climb up the tree. Their progress was slow, much slower, Shou knew, than it would have been if Juudai had come alone. But at least they were getting somewhere.

When he was more than half way up, something that looked suspiciously like a balloon drifted past Shou's face and up into the air.

"Sorry, lost that one," came Juudai's voice from behind him, "Let's hope he doesn't see it."

The same thing had crossed Shou's mind. Ryo had eyes like a hawk, so if he were in that room, he'd certainly notice a balloon floating by and wonder what was going on. As it was, no one came to the balcony, so it could be assumed that he either wasn't there or was too distracted to notice. Shou secretly hoped he wasn't there, to save him the embarrassment.

But as the two of them struggled onto the ledge, it became clear that Ryo was there. Not because they could see him, the curtain that led out to the balcony was pulled shut, but because they could hear him. Those were noises that Shou was sure he'd never heard coming from his brother before. They made him panic.

Juudai, the braver of the two, stepped forward and had a glance around the curtain. He was watching for a considerable while before Shou prompted him in a whispered to find out what it was.

Pulling back from the curtain, Juudai said, "I really think we should come back another time, Shou."

"Why's that?" Shou asked, in annoyance.

"Because Fubuki's giving Ryo his birthday present right now."

It was a few hours later before that particular birthday present was finished. But Ryo never understood why, as he wandered out on the balcony for some air, there was a bag of funny hats and balloons left lying there.


	73. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki had always wanted a Hollywood romance, and suddenly had to realise there might be a flaw in the great plan for his life.

A Hollywood romance.

That was what Fubuki had wanted for as long as his hormones had permitted him to want romance.

He loved celebrities. He'd gone to so many idol-training sessions to try and prepare himself as much for celebrity life as it was possible for a person to be. He knew exactly how a Hollywood romance would go and he wanted that.

It was the red carpets, the glamour, the seeing yourself on the cover of a gossip magazine the morning after, the chat shows and even the break-ups. He was ready for the dramatic celebrity break-ups. He planned to have at least four of them, so he could get a reputation before finally shocking all the papers by settling down.

He drew the line at having reality TV shows made about his home life though, as that would just be tacky. Perhaps if partner number three was particularly annoying and he was well loved by the public enough at that point to get away with it, he would. But only to cause the greatest scandal in the upcoming celebrity history when it all fell apart on screen.

Just like he planned it would in the imaginary screenplay of his life.

The upcoming became the present, and then the present became the past.

Fubuki did become famous, just as he foresaw he would. As soon as he left Duel Academia, he set out to becoming a duel idol, and as he'd always planned, he cornered that part of the market perfectly.

Duelling was such an intense area. Pro League duels were taken so seriously, which was why Fubuki didn't touch them at all. Instead, he aired duels that were solely meant to be entertaining and look good, that were filmed and shown to a family audience in the comfort of their own home. Fubuki brought duelling to a whole new audience, and in return, duelling brought Fubuki the fame he'd always wanted.

It also brought him the romance he'd always wanted. Hollywood romance.

Eventually he came to partner four, and found that he wasn't ready to settle down yet. Maybe he'd planned that to happen to early. So partner four was left behind, as Fubuki pursued further.

Partner five didn't last either. Nor did partners six, seven, eight or even twelve. After so long, Fubuki stopped counting.

At what point in Hollywood romance does it stop?

He'd never considered before, but he was starting to notice more frequently how celebrity relationships in general tended to end tragically or frizzle out until the public had heard of neither player anymore. Those were some grim prospects.

At the opposite end of the scale, not quite as publicly famous as Fubuki, but pulling the strings of a lot of duellists who were, was Ryo. Fubuki's former best friend from Duel Academia.

Ryo had nothing to do with celebrity romance. Or romance, period.

Which wasn't to say that nobody had ever looked at Ryo in that way. He was an attractive man, and even now had to walk with a cane because of an operation, he still found that people were interested in him.

Their interest never lasted long. He saw to that.

Ryo worked. And worked. And didn't stop working. He purposely didn't make time for anyone he knew was attracted to him. But that was seen as acceptable, because Ryo was in charge of the new Pro League. A Pro League that was more open and fair than the one before.

One that let even people who lost, stand up with dignity and carry on duelling. Nobody would laugh at those people, as Ryo had been laughed at when he'd lost in his younger days.

At first he was solely managing his brother, Shou, but Shou's popularity grew with speed and soon other duellists took an interest. Ryo was now managing a lot of duellists.

So he busied himself in his work and ignored romance as much as possible. Though there came a point when one had to consider when do they stop working?

Before he'd had time to push this thought out of his mind, there came a knock at the door. He pushed the forms he'd been filling in for upcoming duels out of the way and walked over to answer it, not too surprised to see Fubuki walk in and fall onto the sofa.

They both led very different lives, but they still made time for each other's friendship.

"So, how's it going with…" Ryo paused. He hadn't bothered to learn the name of Fubuki's last partner. He tended to break up with them soon after Ryo had learned their names.

"We called it off," answered Fubuki. No surprise there. "Honestly, I'm not sure why I even try anymore."

That didn't sound like usual Fubuki talk. Ryo sat down on one of the sofa arms, so he could listen closer.

"Do you ever feel I might be too superficial?" Fubuki asked; his voice muffled by the cushion.

Ryo remained tactfully silent, but then thought aloud, "Isn't your career based on being superficial to begin with?"

"Yes, but after so long, maybe I don't want my career and personal life to mix too much," replied Fubuki. Which truly shocked Ryo. In general Fubuki considered the day wasted if several photographers hadn't caught him before lunch.

"It isn't too hard to keep the two separate," Ryo comforted. He wasn't very good at comforting people.

"But as soon as I hook up with anyone, the media are all over me," Fubuki moaned, and quietly Ryo thought the reason for that was because Fubuki brought it on himself, "So people date me because they want to be seen with me, then they get sick of the cameras being there all the time, then I get sick of their whining, so we call it off. It's always the same. I'm starting to think Hollywood romance isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I never thought it was cracked up to be much," admitted Ryo.

"But it's… a love story. Haven't you ever wanted one of those?" Fubuki said, propping his head up on the pillow so he could look at Ryo.

"Perhaps, in my own time. But there are plenty of love stories out there that aren't covered by the media and usually last longer than those that are," concluded Ryo, being the only way he could be around Fubuki, which was being honest.

Blowing a hair out of his eyes, Fubuki said, "That's all great for regular people, but there's no way I could do that now. The only person the press don't care about seeing me go out with is you, Ryo, and even that started a lot of vicious rumours before they realised we were just friends."

"So, why don't you go out with me, then?"

"Huh?" Fubuki sat up properly, looking at Ryo in confusion.

"Not as in that sort of going out," Ryo said hurriedly, "I just meant in general. If we're together, they won't follow us, and then there's always a chance you could meet someone while we're out that you'd be interested in."

"That's really nice of you," mumbled Fubuki, knowing how much Ryo hated it when Fubuki brought his latest dates to meals with them, "But I think I could do with going out with you and not hooking up with anyone."

"Why's that? I thought you wanted to meet someone who'd last," Ryo said, confused.

"You last, Ryo."


	74. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo has been trying to find a moment to talk to Fubuki since the other had returned to Duel Academia. He really should have waited for Fubuki to come to him.

Two facts concerning his current existence played most prominently in Ryo's mind. The first was that the fate of the world waited for no one. It didn't matter if it was your grandmother's birthday or if, in this case, your friend has just got out of hospital, if the world is about to be taken over or destroyed, it demanded your attention now. The second fact was that popularity always meant other people surrounded you.

Well, 'always' was probably an overstatement. He remembered plenty of times in his first year when Fubuki wasn't surrounded by screaming girls. It had to be because it was so long since any of them had seen him. Some of them hadn't even seen him before at all and didn't want to miss out on the chance to do so when Fubuki's reputation got out.

If anything, Ryo was patient. He knew that the circumstances were out of either of their control and he was willing to wait for it to all settle down before he had a word with Fubuki.

Of course, Asuka came first, too. She was Fubuki's sister, as well as Ryo's friend, so he had expected her to want to be the first one to talk to him. She had been the one who had won his memories back from Titan, after all.

So, he waited for the all clear from her. But the Seven Stars were not defeated yet, so the students' fight went on. When it seemed that all was well in the students' struggles, she eventually came to talk with him at the lighthouse, where they reflected on Fubuki and how Asuka had grown into a person who no longer needed protecting.

He mused, as the two looked out to sea, that it would probably be all right for him to talk to Fubuki now. But Fubuki being Fubuki, as well as having been on his feet and rid of his collection of female admirers for more than a few minutes, had already got an insane idea into his head that would affect the group. He'd decided to match-make Manjoume and Asuka, by convincing Manjoume to steal the keys they had been protecting.

It was a good thing overall, Ryo thought, because this way the younger students got a chance to see what sort of person Fubuki was firsthand. They'd have to get used to his crazy antics for their next year at Duel Academia, so they should at least have some clue as to what they were up against early on. Though it still meant that Ryo could not talk to Fubuki yet.

And directly after Manjoume's defeat Kagemaru came, trying to abuse his power by awakening what they had been trying to protect. It was Juudai who stepped up to face him, as they all knew in themselves that it would be, and Kagemaru was defeated.

So the evil was finally stopped.

It had stopped in good time, too, as soon enough it would be Ryo's turn to choose an opponent to face him in the graduation duel. He had a good idea as to whom he was going to pick for this honour, too. But the fact remained that he'd still hardly said more than a few words to his best friend since Fubuki had awoken from his coma.

"I'm starting to think you're avoiding me, Ryo," came a cheerful voice from the balcony of his room.

Ryo didn't have to look around to know whom that voice belonged to, but he did anyway. He was faced with Fubuki, pulling himself out of a tree in a monkey-like fashion. People were starting to treat that tree like something of a second door into Ryo's room, lately.

"Are you sure it's not the other way around?" asked Ryo, though he smiled as he said it, "You seemed too busy meddling in Asuka's love life to talk to me."

Pulling himself up to his feet, Fubuki gave a dramatic sigh and shook his head.

"No rest for the weary, Ryo. That poor boy was so helpless that it would be a crime for the magician of love not to step in and aid him in his noble quest."

"Noble?" It wouldn't have been the word Ryo would have chosen to describe Manjoume's pursuit of Asuka, but Fubuki had a way of making the truth sound glossier than it was.

Giving him a sheepish grin, Fubuki replied, "Well you get the idea, at any rate. But more to the point, I really wanted to see you before you graduated. Everything's all go, all the time, and I know you don't like crowds of people."

Ryo nodded, quietly relieved that Fubuki had come to visit him like this. Fubuki's life mostly consisted of crowds of people, so it was hard to do more than hang around the edge of his existence and hope to grab his attention. Somehow, Fubuki always noticed Ryo. Ryo was still lost as to what caused that.

"It's impossible to get privacy around here," agreed Ryo, motioning for Fubuki to join him in the room.

"I'll say, what with all this doom going on and my beloved fans following me all over the place. The doom I think we can put aside as being done for this year, but the girls are something that never rests," said Fubuki, "Which is why I had to catch you here."

"My room. Why is that so important?" Ryo asked.

"Well girls aren't allowed here. Or at least, I don't think so. We get in trouble for going to their dorm, so I've always just presumed it worked both ways," answered Fubuki, "Now I can get you all to myself."

"You make it sound like you're going to kidnap me," Ryo laughed. Fubuki was probably the only person who could get Ryo to laugh.

He only just caught the sly glance that Fubuki gave him to that accusation. It might have been better if he hadn't seen it.

"I really don't think your elusiveness has become that much of a problem yet," Fubuki said, and Ryo noted the 'yet', "Maybe when you get to the Pro Leagues I'll have to kidnap you for a bit of attention."

"Just try not to publicise your actions too much," Ryo said.

"Is that an invitation that I'm allowed to kidnap you if I want?"

"No!"

"Just checking."

The two stood, watching as the room was bathed in the pinkish red light of the setting sun. Ryo liked this time of day; he wouldn't turn on the lights until he absolutely had to.

"Next year it's going to be their year," said Fubuki, referring to Juudai and his friends.

"I'm glad they'll still have you there to watch over them for a while," Ryo replied, and he truly meant it.

"Who knows what you'll be doing next year yourself, Ryo," Fubuki went on.

After a moment's thought, Ryo said, "Probably not getting a minute's peace."

"Privacy's overrated. I've always thought," said Fubuki, in what was probably meant to be an encouraging tone.

"If you ever wanted to meet me there, I'd make some privacy for you," said Ryo, who didn't quite agree about it being overrated.

"We already arranged that," reminded Fubuki.

"Fubuki?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not letting you kidnap me."

"Oh."

A pause.

"Not even once?" Fubuki offered.


	75. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo had to use a cane to walk, but that wasn’t the only thing the cane was used for.

Ryo used a wheelchair for a long time.

Everyone knew it was because he'd had an operation, therefore his weakened heart made it difficult for him to strain himself too much.

Around about the time that everyone had resigned Ryo to being in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, was when Ryo suddenly stopped using it. He probably did it to spite anyone who'd doubted him.

It didn't really come as too much of a great surprise to anyone that he was walking, since it hadn't been as if Ryo couldn't walk at all during the time he'd spent in the wheelchair, they just hadn't expected him to get rid of it completely.

The fact remained that he couldn't walk unsupported all the time, however, so for that reason, Ryo started to carry around a cane to help support himself.

This cane was not a regular cane. This was Ryo, after all, so a plain old wooden walking stick wouldn't have been good enough for him.

His cane was metallic, the top moulded into the shape of a Cyber Dragon's head, glaring at the world as if about to Strident Blast them into next autumn. The top of the head had to be smoothed down a bit so Ryo could hold it comfortably, but other than that, it was still a pretty accurate representation.

Nobody ever really knew if Ryo had bought the cane for himself or if it was a gift from someone who didn't own up to it. All they were certain of was that, after Ryo had decided to abandon the wheelchair, the cane was there, and many people felt it's glare as well as Ryo's own when he watched them.

Fubuki thought that at least Ryo had gone for something that matched his personal style. All these years, he'd tried to drum into Ryo that image was important, and though he'd never listened, nor would he admit to listening now, Fubuki'd had a feeling he'd learn eventually.

The Cyberdark creatures belonged to Shou now, but the spirit of the Cyber Dragons still very much belonged to Ryo. When people thought of those dragons, they thought of Ryo. Or at least Fubuki presumed they did. Shou was getting a lot more media coverage these days, so the new audience may associate those dragons with him more than Ryo now. But in Fubuki's mind, Cyber Dragons meant Ryo.

He'd laughed when people had mentioned the cane and how it made them feel nervous. Ryo had that effect on everyone, but not Fubuki. There was no chance he'd show fear to a stick of metal with an angry face on it.

Or he hadn't thought so at least. When the cane started to play a role in his relationship with Ryo, it began to dawn on him how dangerous the thing was for a completely different reason.

Ryo and Fubuki had gotten together. It was another one of the many parts of Ryo's life that people wondered about, but were never given a clear answer upon. In respect to this privacy, Fubuki hadn't spoke about it either. The fact was that they had some sort of relationship now and that was all there really was to know about it.

When they'd started dating, Fubuki didn't think there'd be too many sexual activities involved, if any at all. He knew how fragile Ryo's body was from the heart condition. And oddly enough, that didn't bother Fubuki, if anything it was a relief. He'd gone through his whole life going from one person's bed to the next, and to be with someone who possibly wouldn't want to do anything of that sort took a load off his mind.

So it had taken him by surprise when Ryo had expressed interest in doing something of this nature.

Fubuki had asked him if he'd really be okay with this, saying that he didn't want to pressure Ryo into anything he might not be ready for, but Ryo just nodded and said that it was fine. He said that he'd wanted to.

It was around this time that the cane started to unnerve Fubuki.

He hadn't been surprised when the cane had turned up in the bedroom, just because Ryo was taking a step forward didn't mean that he magically wouldn't need it's support, but he'd expected to be able to ignore it's glare as always.

Though it turned out that Ryo did not want the cane to be ignored.

He used it as a tool to get him where he wanted to be. When Fubuki tried to push up, Ryo would ease his back down with the end of the cane so he could carry on. A simple signal would have been enough but Ryo did not do things by words. The cane helped enforce his actions.

Under no circumstances, would he strike out using it, but the extra leverage gave him more of the feel of power, something that Ryo had wanted since taking on the Hell Kaiser persona, but found it harder to grasp in his current condition. Fubuki wanted him to have that power. He enjoyed seeing the glint in Ryo's eyes as he took control of the situation.

So each time they worked, the cane would join them. Something about the fear of it became anticipation. Fubuki even found himself occasionally roused by the sight of it in general, as Ryo pushed it into the floor, gripping the top in the sort of everyday anger that he had.

The cane was more than it seemed. Something that fit well with the themes of both its master and its servant.


	76. Ryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo had made his own choices to remove the bonds he’d once had with Samejima, Shou and Fubuki.

Lonely was a concept that applied to other people.

There were people who desired the company of others all the time and there were people who enjoyed their own company more than having anyone else with them. It was people who fell into the first category who felt lonely. Loners were not lonely.

Even if that was not strictly true, it was true in the case of Hell Kaiser Ryo. It always had been, even back in the days when he had called others his friends and permitted them to have his company, he hadn't really needed them. The change in his life only helped to enforce this notion.

Ryo was a Pro League duellist. His work was his life and his life didn't stop for anyone, so he did not have any friends. All he cared for was victory. For the next opponent to take the stand and for him to destroy them.

He could do that on his own, without the help of anyone.

And so he made sure that the victories did not stop, that even when he had to confront those he'd known, Samejima, Fubuki and Shou, they were defeated knowing that Ryo did not need their pity. He was a person, just a different person to the one that they had accepted before.

He left them behind for a while. Just before the tournament was over, he slipped out of sight and mind, allowing for Rei to take the title shot against Manjoume. He hadn't cared for the match up anyway and felt that Rei deserved a chance to become an independent person as he had done.

The end of the tournament meant that he could go back to being a Pro League star, back to his new life. Which he lived alone.

But something was suddenly different now.

The memories of his duels against those three who had once been important to him played fresh in his mind. The looks of pure concern and determination to find out what had happened to the person they had treasured. And even worse, the looks of acceptance they given him when they'd lost.

Hadn't their acceptance been what Ryo had wanted all along?

For the first time since Monkey had changed him into what he was today, Ryo thought about what he had lost.

Childhood was gone. So never again would he be the young student, listening eagerly to Samejima's teaching of the Cyber Style, while being just as eager to impress him with the skills he'd learned. But those days had been gone long before Ryo had become Hell Kaiser. The difference being that before, even though those days had gone, Ryo still talked to Samejima. Everyday he'd visit the man's office to talk with him. They had been friends.

Family was gone. Ryo had to remove himself from Shou's life if he ever wanted the younger Marufuji to become the duellist he had the potential to be. Shou was too soft. So Ryo had taught him not to be that way by using harsh words. Even before the change, Ryo had never been gentle to Shou. The difference was that back then, underneath all the anger and misunderstanding, had been two brothers who cared for each other. Now all that was there were two independent people, striving for success.

Friends, and he was going to be honest, romance, too, were gone. So Ryo could no longer release the stress of a day's studying by watching Fubuki do whatever crazy antics the other boy had planned. That, too, had been left when Ryo had moved on from the academia, but Fubuki had always said it didn't have to. It was Ryo who had chosen to break the tie. They were no longer the partners they had been.

Teacher, family and lover, all gone.

Looking at them individually made it not seem so bad, but when he put it all together like that, it really hit him just how much he had lost in his growth.

And for the first time, Ryo felt lonely.

He recognised the pang in his chest, knowing that it hurt him so much. But Ryo was not the sort of person to let something that was bothering him continue to affect his life. He was also not grown up yet.

Perhaps he wouldn't be able to deal with these problems until he had fully matured. So he made the choice to not come back to any of them while he had doubt. The decisions he had made by becoming Hell Kaiser would be something he would see through, so he couldn't go back now. When he was ready, he would face teacher, family and lover once more he would return to them.

But for now, Hell Kaiser Ryo would live with loneliness.


	77. Darkness/Ryo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Darkness felt defeat at the hands of Hell Kaiser, he mused how it should have gone.

He needed to burn.

Everything needed to burn in the long run, but Darkness had gotten through existence by being patient enough to take down the opponent in front of him before moving onto the next victim.

His current opponent was an arrogant mortal if ever he'd seen on, by the name of Hell Kaiser. Darkness would show this boy what the word 'Hell' truly meant, and perhaps this child wouldn't be so quick to give himself that title in the future.

It was a match of dragon against dragon. The blazing inferno of the Red Eyes family brought up against those clearly inferior Cyberdark monsters of Ryo's.

But as the match drew on, they proved to not be as inferior as Darkness had first thought. He seethed with rage as that Cyberdark Dragon dared to touch his own Red Eyes Black Dragon with those twisted claws it had. He would not allow this.

He didn't have to for much longer. The match had ended after that. Ryo had defeated Darkness.

The presence felt Fubuki's spirit surging forward to try and help the one he'd duelled against, and he listened as the Hell Kaiser claimed to not be controlled by Darkness, which Darkness of course knew to be the case, but instead was pursuing a sort of darkness that not even the light could illuminate. So that he could obtain victory.

To his surprise, Fubuki accepted this explanation, though it caused him much sorrow. But it only helped to further Darkness's defeated anger. He was all darkness. As soon as he had returned to his true self, the whole world would see that. There would be darkness that not even the light could penetrate, but this boy wouldn't find it on his own.

Darkness didn't have any time to respond as Fubuki gained control of himself once more, and he was banished back to the card. It was Fubuki's turn to speak now, but this didn't matter. There was plenty of reflecting Darkness had to do before his next chance at controlling a host presented itself.

He thought about Hell Kaiser and his arrogance. He thought about the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon being blown away by a pathetic creature that used one of Darkness's own to power itself up.

And he denied this.

It had been a fluke. An unlucky play of cards. Something that could have been fixed if Darkness had another chance. He would have another chance.

Next time, it would end differently. His dragon would crush that of Hell Kaiser's, bring the boy to his knees as his life points dropped to zero. The echoes of his dragon's dying cry resounding in his ears, mixed with Darkness's own laughter.

The heat would get to him; he would collapse to the floor as the fire from the volcano raised up to surround them both. Because next time the duel was going to take place in Darkness's own territory.

For he loved fire and he loved victory. Especially if victory was snapped from the hands of someone who thought it to be equally as important as Darkness did himself. Someone who would then spend the last few moments of his life suffering greatly, before having his flesh ripped from his bones by the lava.

The mental image of the sweat coming from Hell Kaiser's body as he lay there made Darkness's being shudder with anticipation.

Then he'd see where darkness without light comes from.

All these thoughts of Hell Kaiser becoming the victim of a true Hell kept him preoccupied for a long time. He was starting to enjoy the potential they had. He just hoped that the universe didn't present any distractions until his next time to walk in the land of humans, so he had time to think of the flames.

Darkness loved the flames.


	78. Ryo/Fubuki (feat. Daitokuji)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo was one of the few students from his year who hadn’t gone missing at that dorm, and he wasn’t thankful for that.

Life was never going to be simple.

It would never be a case of getting on the metaphorical train at the station and going from home to work without any complications. There was always be something on the line along the way or some guy would pull a knife on you for unknown reasons or, if you got lucky, then it would just be that the sandwich trolley had run out of egg and cress. The latter being unlikely, because train canteens always overstocked on egg and cress sandwiches.

The point being that something would happen. You couldn't go through life without meeting any obstacles. Given it might well be possible to do so in theory, but there had been millions of people who had tried to put that into practise before and none of them had succeeded yet.

But Ryo admitted to himself that he would have liked to attend Duel Academia without too much drama happening. He was a studious boy, he always worked hard and his tutors thought highly of him. That was what he wanted from his time there. Anything life was going to throw at him, he wanted it to throw after he'd gone out into the wide world and got his career on the go.

Life hadn't wanted that for Ryo.

Another thing that Ryo had found at Duel Academia was friends. Well, all right, one really good friend, at any rate. But that really good friend was a popular guy, so Ryo knew a lot of other people in his year through knowing this one friend, Fubuki.

Fubuki was not a normal guy. It would be quite accurate to describe him as one of the obstacles you might come across on your train track. However, he was a good person, albeit loud and excitable, so if he was the only unusual aspect of Ryo's education, then he was quite happy to embrace that.

It turned out this wouldn't be the case.

A whole class of students disappeared from the academia without any explanation. Ryo's friends, including Fubuki, had been in that class. Ryo had to grit his teeth as people told him he was lucky to have been away on the day that it happened.

If being lucky meant losing your companionship in the blink of an eye, then Ryo thought he could do with being a lot less lucky.

No one seemed to be able to come up with any reason into the madness of what had happened. Just this primitive notion that the dorm the students went missing from must be a bad place, so to reduce the risk of losing more students, it was closed off. Students were forbidden to either go there or speak about what had happened. It would be too much bad press for the school if the media found out about the missing class.

Surely parents would tell, the students argued, but somehow the staff managed to cover that up, too. To Ryo, the whole affair made no sense. All he could understand of it was that Fubuki and these other people were gone, and no bodies were found.

He drew up the summary that they had to be alive. There'd be no way that so many bodies could have been removed unnoticed if they had been killed. But where did so many people go when they magically disappeared?

As often as he could spare, he searched for them, Fubuki's image etched into the back of his mind. Any traces of a guy with long, brown hair being heard of and Ryo would be there, but he never found Fubuki.

It was hard to look for someone in secret without the staff being alerted, or at least becoming suspicious, as to what you were doing. The tutor who had been responsible for the missing class, Daitokuji, in particular seemed to keep turning up whenever Ryo felt he was getting closer to finding something out about what had happened. But it wasn't easy to be angry with Daitokuji; he had such a nice smile and seemed pleasantly absentminded. He wasn't the sort of person who should have been involved with something like this.

Regardless, he still got in the way, and the weeks went by without the students returning. Weeks became months, months became a memory, and soon it was almost time for the students to take the boat trip back to the mainland.

Ryo sat on the dock, next to the lighthouse he always felt comforted by, and was thoroughly miserable. By the time they returned from the summer, the scent would be stone cold. If the missing students were being held somewhere against their will, then the few weeks would be plenty of time to transport them off the island. Or transport their bodies off.

He shook that treacherous thought from his mind.

"You really need to stop looking so sad, Marufuji, nya," came a voice from behind him, the 'nya' sound confirming that it was Daitokuji talking, "You'll make the principal worry for you if you keep that up."

It was common knowledge that Ryo and principal Samejima had known each other for a long while, even before the boy had attended the academia.

"I just don't particularly feel very happy right now," said Ryo, looking over. He didn't feel he needed to waste anytime saying why, that should have been obvious.

Daitokuji came to join him sitting at the edge of the pier, his cat Pharaoh watching the water with some distain from his position on Daitokuji's lap.

"You still worry for those missing students," observed Daitokuji, to which Ryo nodded, "But you can't carry on that way. I know you don't feel fortunate, but they are lucky that out of all of them it was you who was left behind. Because if anyone is able to find them, you have the mind to do it."

"Thanks." It was all Ryo could reply. Not only did he not feel fortunate, but he also didn't feel as if he was as up to the task as Daitokuji claimed him to be.

"But you can't put this entirely on yourself, Marufuji. To you it seems as if the staff has forgotten about them, but we are still looking as much as you are. If you were to open your mind enough to allow for help, then this strain would not seem so terrible to you."

"There is no one else outside of the academia that can help," Ryo argued, "Leaving for the summer would be a huge step backwards."

"Then you are independent to the point of being untrusting," Daitokuji responded, looking sterner than he usually did, "Did you forget that the students have families, too? Even Tenjoin had relatives who could be trying to find him."

At the mention of Fubuki's surname, Ryo snapped to attention. He'd never even stopped to think about Fubuki's family. Did he have parents and possibly even siblings who were trying to find him, too?

Taking his silence as a prompt to leave, Daitokuji pulled himself to his feet, saying, "You should move on from this self imposed slump, Marufuji. It will not help you."

With that he took to leave, Pharaoh seeming content to put some distance between him and the water.

As the day went on, Ryo stayed there, other students loading their belongings onto the boat and passing him by. Eventually another member of staff got off the boat to ask if he was coming.

"If we leave you behind, you'll be stuck here all summer," the man warned.

Ryo stood up and walked towards the boat.

"All right, I'm ready. I'm finally ready to move on."


	79. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo and Fubuki discuss magpie rhymes and how silly English people can be.

"You know in England they have rhymes about magpies," said Fubuki thoughtfully, as he lay with Ryo on a patch of grass not too far from the Blue Dorm.

"I'm sure they do," said Ryo without much interest. Fubuki was always looking for pointless trivia from the western world, mostly because he thought it was cool. Everyone thought being able to so much as write your name in English was cool. He wondered if in countries like America or England, they had people who annoyed their friends by thinking that writing in Japanese was cool.

"Well, they have several of them," corrected Fubuki, "A magpie's a little black and white bird, by the way," he added, on the off chance that Ryo didn't know what one was, "The most famous one goes on about if you're going to be happy or not and what gender your baby's going to be."

"How does it tell you that?" Ryo sat up, seeming vaguely more intrigued now.

"Well it depends how many you see," Fubuki confirmed, "If you see one of them, you've got sorrow, if you see two, that's supposed to be joy… or mirth, depending on which version of the rhyme you use. Then it starts going on about whether you'll have a girl or a boy or if you're going to go to a funeral and get rich. Stuff like that."

Ryo seemed to consider this for a moment, before asking, "So seeing one magpie's always a bad thing?"

"Yeah, that one usually means sorrow, no matter what version of the rhyme you try," answered Fubuki.

"Seems like a daft superstition, really. So there's all these English people who see a magpie and think 'I'd better find another one fast or else I'll have bad luck'?" said Ryo, who was always wary of folklore.

Fubuki wasn't sure on this; he made a quick flick through the book he'd been reading to check.

"I think there's some kind of charm they can use against it," he muttered. Then stopped as he found the page; "Yes, they've got to say 'Aye aye captain' as they see it coming if they don't think there'll be another one."

"And what happens if they do see another one?" Ryo wanted to be thorough about this.

"Then they have to say 'Aye aye captain' backwards to take it back."

There was an awkward pause as they both tried to work this out in their heads. Fubuki then made several attempts to pronounce 'Niatpac eya eya' which started off with him sounding like he was sucking on a cough sweet and ended up with him sounding like he was doing a ritual summoning.

"Sounds like it would be easier just to try and avoid them," said Ryo, when it sounded like Fubuki had finished, "It would certainly save a lot of hassle with worrying about sorrow and spitting all over people trying to say that."

Shaking his head, Fubuki continued, "You'd think so, but the more you see the better it gets, usually. By the time you get to ten of them, you're going to have an absolutely wonderful day."

"Fubuki?"

"Yeah?"

"If you see ten magpies, then you've probably wandered into a nature reserve."

"That's a good point."

They lapsed into silence, reflecting upon how lucky they were to be on a subtropical island where no bizarre magpie lore about being depressed or having babies existed.

"Still, it's interesting to know how strange people can be," said Fubuki, cheerfully.

Looking up at the sky to see if there were any birds at all, Ryo responded, "It certainly is interesting, I suppose. Though I really think that those people should just avoid the magpies, unless they live near a nature reserve and want some extra good fortune."

"Shame you're not there to tell them that," agreed Fubuki, smirking.

"You'd never get me to go there now that I know I'd have to count birds all the time," insisted Ryo. That certainly would be a sorrowful day out.


	80. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki complains about the heat and Ryo unintentionally fixes his problem.

"Do you think it ever snows here?"

"I've heard rumours," answered Ryo, as he returned from a dispenser down the hall, carrying a bucket of ice, "But then I've not stayed over the winter break to find out."

"Well, it could certainly do with snowing now," moaned Fubuki, taking a single cube from the bucket and balancing it on his forehead.

Duel Academia was based in a warm climate. It was hot all year, but particularly unbearable in the summer. Right now the school year was almost at its climax, the heat making it almost impossible for concentration on the final exams.

At least today was a Sunday, the one day of the week where there were no lessons at all, save for the optional casual tournaments that each dorm held.

Both Fubuki and Ryo had decided to miss this week's tournament out, instead resting in the cool shade of Fubuki's room.

"At least ice isn't hard to come by," reasoned Ryo, who had been half expecting for one of the more devious students to start charging for it. Thankfully, Chronos seemed to be making sure no one took advantage of the current heat wave.

Watching the ice cube drop down his face in a trail of water, Fubuki muttered, "Not that it lasts very long."

"We'll make do with it while it's here, then," said Ryo, opening the small fridge to get some juice to pour for them both, "It's usually not you complaining about the heat."

"Sometimes it just gets to you," Fubuki said, shrugging, "The beach is too crowded today, or else I'd have gone there to do some surfing."

"As long as you remember sun block," Ryo replied, placing the two glasses, which contained more ice than orange juice, down next to him.

Fubuki rolled his eyes. Between the two of them, Ryo was more of the worrier.

"I'd rather be rubbing my body with something cold then something warm and sticky," protested Fubuki, causing Ryo to momentarily choke on his drink.

"Swallowed that the wrong way," Ryo lied, badly.

Letting him off, Fubuki gazed at his own glass, wondering, "Do they make ice baths?"

"Someone said Juudai and his friends were going to give it a try," said Ryo, which was the closest he'd come to saying 'sensible people don't make ice baths'.

"We might have to head over there later."

One thing Fubuki lacked that most other Blue students possessed, was a fear of the Red dorm. It wasn't uncommon for him to be found sleeping on the rafters in what others sneered at as being the worst dorm in the academia. Personally, Fubuki liked the run-down feel it had.

"In the meantime, we'll make do with what we have here," said Ryo, looking over at the bucket.

Then they both stared at it. While they didn't have any idea what the actual temperature was, they hadn't expected it to be hot enough to melt the ice that quickly. Already they were left with half a bucket of water with a few lonely cubes bobbing on the surface.

"Well, that was unhelpful," muttered Ryo, getting to his feet, "I'll go refill the bucket."

"No need to yet," Fubuki said, waving his hand dismissively, "It'd be a waste when others need it and we've already had a drink."

Nodding in agreement, Ryo turned to put the bucket down, but tripped over a loose bit of carpet and dropped it – spilling the water all over Fubuki.

"Sorry!" he said instantly, biting his lip.

However, Fubuki only laughed.

"I certainly won't be complaining about the heat now," he said, pushing the bucket off his now drenched shirt and shorts.

"It… sort of looks like you've wet yourself, though," Ryo said awkwardly.

Glancing down at his shorts, Fubuki continued to laugh.

"I'd rather have a cool chill on a hot day than be dignified, but too warm, anyway."

And that was how Fubuki cooled down without bathing in ice on a warm summer's afternoon.


	81. Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki thought about how black and white had affected both him and Ryo.

It would be wrong to say that Fubuki couldn't remember the last time Ryo wore white. He could very well remember that time, but because of everything that had happened, he tried not to.

Because Hell Kaiser was not the Kaiser of the Academia anymore, he was a changed person. A person who wanted others to accept that he was different. So out of respect for him, Fubuki stopped thinking about the times when Ryo had wore white.

It was difficult at first. All he had known of Ryo had been the friend from Duel Academia, and all of his memories of the times they had spent together, Ryo had dressed in the white uniform with its blue trimmings.

But after a while, it stopped being so difficult. Eventually he just started to see Ryo as Hell Kaiser, the one who wore black. New memories were created of him through Ryo's attempt to create the new Pro League. Ryo had never directly asked for help from anyone, but Fubuki being a rising star would often advertise the new Pro League on the Bucky Show, even without Ryo's permission. He would reference matches that were held there in the talk part of his show, often matches centred around Shou, and tended to refuse guests associated with the original Pro League that had caused so much suffering.

So when he saw Ryo now, he saw a man dressed in black, a man who was improving the world for others where it had caused damage to him.

Which led Fubuki to think of the last time he'd worn black himself.

More so than he pushed the memories of Ryo wearing white from his mind, he tried to forget ever wearing black himself.

It had not truly been him who had dressed that way. It was Darkness's clothing, and when it was on Fubuki's body, it usually meant the other being controlled him. Darkness wanted black. Regardless of what Fubuki happened to be wearing at the time, when Darkness took over, that outfit would change to his own black one.

Darkness had been a horrible demon that had hurt the lives of many he knew, trying to force them to live out their greatest fears in life. And he had used Fubuki to hurt others. Not at the end, but for a long while, Fubuki had been connected to Darkness.

Nowadays, Fubuki wanted to move on from that time more than anything. He wanted to be a person who helped others, not harmed them. Maybe that was one of the reasons why he promoted Ryo's Pro League and the matches of various duellists he'd known from school so much.

For a long time, Fubuki had been a boy who had worn white. He was a student at Duel Academia for a lot longer than most others were, having started in the same year as Ryo, but because of being taken as one of the Seven Stars, had graduated in the same year as Juudai. He hadn't wanted to do his education half way; he'd wanted to make up for everything he'd missed out on during his disappearance, so that was why he'd stayed.

However, he had abandoned his white uniform to the cupboard it belonged in when he'd left the school. He was not a boy of white anymore.

As he picked out his clothing, he considered there had been too much connection to black and white over the years. The elite uniform, Darkness, Hell Kaiser, Johan when Yubel controlled him, and it was impossible to forget the Hikari no Kessha.

Everything had been black or white.

Fubuki did not want to be a man of black or white.

He wanted to be a man of colours. Red, yellow, green, purple, and any other colour that he came across. He wanted to be someone who lived for today and showed people how wonderful the world could be.

And he hoped that, maybe one day, those who had limited themselves to black or white could learn from that.


	82. Ryo & Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki was starting to change, and Ryo was starting to notice it.

He hadn't seen Fubuki at all lately.

Though technically, that wasn't true. He had seen Fubuki physically, as in, Fubuki was standing right there, but he hadn't really seen Fubuki as a person since… since… his memory was hazy on that event.

Whatever had happened, it had somehow changed Fubuki.

The other elite student was now more serious and withdrawn than he had been before. In the past, Fubuki had been the life and soul of the academia. Even though he was brilliant in his studies, that didn't put him above causing all sorts of mischief and generally getting into Chronos's bad books.

But then he had just stopped being cheerful and fun. He shut himself away in the other Blue dorm to study, apparently. Ryo stopped visiting that dorm very much. Aside from occasionally checking up on Fubuki, he rarely went there at all.

It was on one of those few visits that he did see something that he had never witnessed before, and had no idea how much he would witness it in the future.

As usual, he knocked on the door and waited at least half a minute before the muffled voice of Fubuki droned that he could come in. He walked into the room to find Fubuki once again hunched over a pile of books that he would undoubtedly prevent Ryo from knowing the titles of, should the subject come up. This sort of behaviour wasn't normal for Fubuki in the past, but it was starting to become normal now.

"I just thought I'd see how you were," said Ryo, hopelessly, "You've been so caught up lately. It's not like you…" Or at least, it hadn't been.

There was a vague nod of acknowledgement but that was all Ryo got.

"Sometimes it feels like you're possessed," commented Ryo.

This jolted the head away from the book. Tired eyes stared out at Ryo, the other bringing himself to a stand.

"Possessed? No, certainly not…" he drawled, "If I was possessed, it would be much… different. But I haven't fallen into those hands, and I won't ever."

Ryo didn't particularly understand what he had just said, but he wasn't really trying. As soon as Fubuki had got to his feet, his eyes had been drawn to the mirror a short distance away from him.

That was not Fubuki's reflection.

For a moment, it didn't seem to know what it wanted to be the reflection of, changing from a swirling mass of black into something that looked a bit like a lengthy skull, before settling on a human-like figure dressed in black.

That figure _looked_ like Fubuki. Only it wasn't quite him. Just like Fubuki had not been quite himself lately.

After noticing that Ryo wasn't looking at him, the other turned his gaze to the mirror that was being stared into.

"What are you looking at?" Fubuki asked absently, watching his own reflection.

"Don't you see it!" Ryo demanded, making frantic gestures at the darker version of Fubuki looking out at them.

After a brief inspection, Fubuki confirmed, "All I see is my own reflection, and you looking worried."

"What about the clothing?" insisted Ryo.

"The academia uniform is the same as it's always been," Fubuki answered, testily.

Ryo stared from Fubuki to the glass image. It seemed that the other truly couldn't see what he saw there.

Turning away from both Fubuki and reflection, Ryo muttered, "Maybe I should go."

"Yes, you've been overworked lately," agreed Fubuki, which was ironic, seeing as he was the one who had shut himself away to study for so long, "You could probably do with a break."

It was Ryo's turn to nod, mutely. He didn't want to take this from the shell of his former closest friend. If there was something wrong, he wanted time to mull it over and come to a sensible decision about what to do, as rushing in about something Fubuki couldn't even see himself would get him nowhere.

He didn't know that he'd never have time to help.

Seeing himself to the door, Ryo tried to mumbled goodbye, but Fubuki had already returned to whatever he was doing before Ryo had arrived. So Ryo just pulled the door shut.

It wasn't quite time for Darkness to take Fubuki, but in a way, he was already gone.


	83. Ryo/Fubuki/Manjoume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Manjoume was sick of Fubuki's failed attempts at setting him up with Asuka, so he sought help to get rid of him.

It wasn't as if the distance bothered him, he was just somewhat surprised by it. Ever since he had first become a student of Duel Academia, Jun Manjoume had been the best male in his year at Obelisk Blue. So he thought that, as the overall best student of Obelisk Blue, Ryo would have wanted to have a lot to do with him.

He didn't.

Ryo never made any effort to go out of his way to talk to Manjoume like he did with Asuka. Given, Manjoume never went out of his way to talk to Ryo either, but why should he? If someone was worthy of being around Manjoume, they should approach him so he could judge them personally.

Annoyingly, it didn't seem to bother Ryo what Manjoume thought of him. Even when Manjoume went into the Osiris Red dorm and started hanging around with Ryo's little brother and that Juudai kid whom Ryo so obviously approved of, it didn't make any difference.

Then there was the matter of the _other_ elite student, who also had issues with distance when it came to people in general. He was, however, on the opposite end of the scale to Ryo, and wanted to be around people all the time. Manjoume could have done with a bit more distance from Fubuki.

Not that he had any sort of dislike for him, Manjoume admired Fubuki's skills at charming women to the point where it was unhealthy, but recently Fubuki had failed to set him up with Asuka. He was still sore about that.

Which was the other problem with Fubuki – if you had a love life, he wanted to know about it. If you didn't have a love life, then he wanted to help you get one. The self-proclaimed Love Magician seemed to think that everyone's romance was in need of his assistance.

So there he had it. The two elite students of Obelisk Blue. One gave him so much distance it was hard to believe they were on the same continent and the other gave him so little distance they were a few feet short of trading cards. And Manjoume didn't trade cards. Not even using those expensive cards his brothers felt he needed.

Summing them both up, Manjoume had to admit that being given a lot of space was preferable. Despite being insulted by Ryo's lack of interest, at least Ryo wasn't bombarding him with failed schemes to set him up on dates.

It seemed that Ryo and Fubuki were supposed to be quite close to each other. Or at least, he'd heard that they were. He'd never actually seen them talking together. But maybe if he asked Ryo about the situation, he could get some advice about how to remove an obsessive Love Magician from his trail.

Ryo wasn't hard to find. If you hung around the lighthouse long enough, eventually he'd turn up. And Manjoume had taken long enough to get there that he didn't have to wait, the older boy was already stood there. Thankfully on his own, as Manjoume would have been a nervous wreck if he'd had to talk to him while Asuka was at his side.

"Kaiser?" He addressed, walking over.

Looking over, Ryo gave him a nod of acknowledgement, but didn't speak.

"I need to talk to you about something that's been bothering me," he pressed on, trying not to be put off by the stare.

"If it concerns Asuka, then I believe you've already made your thoughts very clear on that matter," said Ryo, startling Manjoume with his response, "My feelings for her are that of a brother to a sister. But you should accept she does not like you in that way either."

A pang of annoyance. But Manjoume let that last comment slide for now.

"It's not about her, it's about her brother," he corrected.

There was a pause, before Ryo answered, "If you're interested in him, then he's far from hard to get a date with. You really don't need my advice in that area."

"No!" Manjoume was starting to understand why he didn't talk to Ryo, the guy was infuriating, "It's completely the opposite of that! I want rid of him!"

"You don't have to shout," said Ryo, in a possibly intentional effort to anger Manjoume further.

"Well, can you help or not? Because if not, then I don't want to waste time hanging around with you," Manjoume seethed.

"I know how I can get rid of him, but I can't say whether the same methods would work for you," said Ryo calmly.

"I'm leaving then!" shot Manjoume, turning on his heels and walking straight into Fubuki.

Pulling back, he started to stammer out excuses, though Fubuki looked all too amused for a guy who'd just heard someone else asking how to get rid of him.

"You wound me deeply Manjoume," Fubuki said, in a tone of mock-hurt, "If you didn't want my help with Asuka, all you had to do was say so and I would have left you to your own methods."

"Yeah, well it's too late now, she's never going to like me with or without your help," Manjoume hissed, "So I'd rather you just go mess up someone else's love life now."

"But I haven't finished with yours yet. Or Ryo's for that matter."

Behind him, Manjoume heard a footstep being taken backwards. Perhaps Ryo was as nervous of Fubuki as everyone else was, after all.

"I think we're both content with being single," said Manjoume cautiously. He couldn't read the Kaiser's mind, but he really didn't need to on that point.

Shaking his head dramatically, Fubuki corrected, "No one is happy being alone. Especially not two hopelessly lost causes such as yourselves." They both took offence that that.

"What do you think we need, then?" Ryo spoke up, acidly.

Glancing from one to the other, Fubuki winked.

"A little bit of company."

"We had that before you arrived," Ryo pointed out, ignoring that Manjoume had been on the verge of leaving.

"But you two are both so… awkward. I'm not saying you couldn't do it together, but you'd need a third wheel," replied Fubuki, wisely.

"When has anyone ever needed a third wheel? Isn't that a term for getting in the way?" asked Manjoume, who was currently simmering down from rage to just confusion.

"Some people are skilled at getting in the way," Fubuki said, and neither of them doubted he was good at doing that.

Walking over, he put an arm over each of their shoulders.

"So, let's go get you both some help from the Love Magician."

Manjoume guessed that this would do nothing to shorten the distance between him and Asuka.

He guessed right.


	84. Ryo & Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two boys wait for a new card pack to be released and one of them may have his duelling style seriously affected by this.

The shop half way down the street sold Duel Monster cards.

Which wasn't particularly unusual, as most shops that wanted to make any kind of profit from children in Domino sold Duel Monster cards.

The difference being was that this shop cared about selling them. Most places would have a box or two, shoved awkwardly on a shelf behind the counter and wouldn't take them down until specifically asked to do so. As a result of this, they tended to only have older packs, seeing as the owners wouldn't bother ordering new boxes until the current ones had run out.

But this shop always had the new series of cards in quickly. Not as soon as they came out, but as soon as it was possible for a regular store to get them in after all the bigger name shops had paraded the new packs around first.

As if dragged there by a magnetic force, two young boys were always there when the new packs arrived. About five minutes before opening time, they stood, the brunette with his hands pressed against the glass, waiting for the doors to open so they could get the cards. Other kids spent their pocket money on sweets, but not these two.

The shopkeeper sometimes opened early for them, but the last time he'd done this, his wife had given him some harsh words, so he busied himself behind the counter, pretending not to see them until nine o'clock had rung.

Outside, Fubuki strained his neck to see if he could spot the new box of cards, grubby hands still smudging the glass.

"It's no good, his head's in the way," he huffed, looking over at his friend, Ryo.

Confidently, Ryo answered, "But he'll have them. This pack's been in the magazines for a few weeks, so he won't have missed them out."

"That's what you said yesterday…" grumbled Fubuki. The two boys had indeed checked the store everyday that week, refusing to spend a single yen on anything that wasn't the new card packs.

"They get deliveries on Thursday, and it's Friday today," reminded Ryo, who was the more logical thinker of the two.

A firm nod, followed by, "If he doesn't have them today, then I'll… I'll…"

The empty threat trailed off. Both the boys liked the shopkeeper and wouldn't even consider going to buy cards from another store.

There was a jolt as the stiff old door of the shop was propped open. In the time they'd been talking, the old man had finished whatever he'd been doing and was ready to face the day's customers.

"Good morning, boys, and what can I do for you two fine fellows today?" he asked cheerfully, knowing what was coming.

"Have you got the… the new cards?" Fubuki asked, his face changing instantly from one of impatient annoyance to the bright grin of anticipation.

The man pretended to think of a moment, before saying, "I think we have some new packs in, why don't you go take a look?"

No sooner than the words had left his lips, the two boys had shot over to the display, eyes widening at a box containing blue foil packets.

"This is the one!" cried Fubuki, holding a packet up for Ryo, a tough looking monster staring out at them from the cover.

Counting out the money from his pocket, Ryo bought two packs, hardly waiting for Fubuki to finish paying, before opening them.

"Here we are again, just like every time," Fubuki laughed, looking over Ryo's shoulder, "We always get excited over these new packs and then when we open them there's never anything useful inside."

Ryo was silent for a moment, shuffling thoughtfully through the cards.

After he hadn't responded, Fubuki prompted, "Is there something actually good in there? Got a Mirror Force to replace that Negate Attack that's been bothering you?"

"No, I've got… well, fusion monsters," said Ryo quietly.

Fubuki made a dismissive noise in the back of his throat. Fusion monsters. They really were just making this set for the collectors. Everyone in his school class knew that fusion monsters were hardly playable at all. Even champions such as Yuugi Mutou or Seto Kaiba didn't fuse monsters as much as people liked to think that they did.

"No, I have this," said Ryo, holding up a spell card with an image of an orange, clawed creature rising from the classic Polymerization card. It had 'Fusion Recovery' written along the top.

"What's that?" Fubuki asked, blinking at this card along with some of the purple fusion cards Ryo had in his possession.

"That's a card that allows you to bring back a Polymerization from your graveyard, along with one monster used for fusion material," the old man said to them.

"But that would make fusing monsters a lot easier," said Ryo, waiting for the catch.

"Yes, it does," agreed the man, "There's going to be a lot of cards coming that will make fusion more achievable for the average player."

Both of them stared at him in disbelief. Fusion decks that could work? That hadn't been the best sort of deck to manage before. There were plenty of deck types they knew that didn't work, but very few that actually did.

"The game's changing, boys; it's not going to be nearly as limited as it once was," the man went on, smiling, "Maybe you two will be the first to start the new generation of fusion deck users."

"Nah, not me," said Fubuki, pocketing the new cards, "I think it's great that the game's changing and that people who want to fuse monsters will have a chance, but that's not my route, personally."

He turned to walk out the shop, though Ryo stopped behind.

"What about you then? You don't talk very much," the shopkeeper commented.

"I think… I think I want to change the way fusion monsters are played," said Ryo, "But I'm not sure how yet. Maybe when I get a bit older, the right deck will come to me."

He bowed politely to the man and followed his friend out.

What peculiar boys, perhaps they will change the game after all. Was what the old man thought as he waited for other early morning customers to arrive. He would certainly have to mention them when his friend Samejima came to town from the mountains to discuss the game with him. Perhaps he'd know of the fusion monsters that would put that boy in the right direction.


	85. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most divine thing that had happened to Ryo wasn’t any of the enemies he’d encountered from knowing Juudai.

"Have you ever experienced divinity?"

It was one of those random questions that Fubuki launched at him occasionally. He'd spend an hour jabbering on about some meaningless drivel, then attack you were a question with some apparent depth, just to make sure you were still listening. Ryo had a feeling Fubuki made a mental list of these questions when he was bored.

"That's not an easy one to answer," Ryo confessed, leaning forward for a better look at the duel, one hand resting on the side of his wheelchair.

The match was one involving his younger brother, so, as Shou's manager, Ryo was expected to be there, but it wasn't a particularly important duel, so he could afford to let his mind wander enough to talk to Fubuki about such strange things. He had complete confidence in Shou's duelling ability anyway, no need to watch him like he was a child.

"It depends what you mean by both experience and divinity," he went on, throwing the ball of pretending to be deep back into Fubuki's court.

"Experience should be obvious enough, something that's happened to you, something you've thought you've felt, that kind of stuff," said Fubuki, eyes also on the match, "But I'll be lenient on divinity, anything you've felt that seemed almost otherworldly, more than human, and so on. If you say nothing, then I'll know you're lying."

That was true enough. As being students connected to Juudai Yuki, they'd both experienced a good deal of inhuman stuff. Be it the essence of Darkness itself using Fubuki as a host, a vampire duelling Ryo, an evil light from out of space trying to control the minds of people they knew, then being sent to two other worlds less than a week apart from each other, plenty of things had happened to both of them. In hindsight, there had been a lot of aliens.

"I could list it all, but that would be a waste of time," Ryo muttered, "You know all of it, I know all of it. If one of us hadn't been involved, the other had been, and if neither of us were around, then it directly came back to someone we knew. We've all experienced a lot."

Tearing his face away from the Giant Rat that Shou's opponent was summoning, Fubuki looked at Ryo. As an individual connected to Juudai, Ryo hadn't particularly got involved with as many supernatural events as other people had. When Ryo got involved with something, it was by his own choice, and when it wasn't, he moulded the situation into his own. Fubuki knew that Ryo didn't oppose the notion of divine creatures and the like being out there, he just wasn't largely concerned with them. When a creature of shadows waved a duel deck in front of him and challenged him, that would be when Ryo paid attention to it.

"But out of the lot of them, what's hit you the hardest," he asked, not coming up with a clear answer to that in his mental picture of Ryo.

"That is not such a difficult question," Ryo answered, closing his eyes and smiling, "It is clear what has affected me the most."

"Not so clear to me," murmured Fubuki, still watching him.

"You've distorted the meaning of a divine experience too much," said Ryo, "An epiphany shouldn't be as broad as any dangerous being that's attacked us over the years. A divine person should be someone who's affected my life in a way that I wouldn't be the same without, but that doesn't have to be a negative way."

"And who would that be?" Fubuki asked.

"Do I really need to answer that?"

They both looked to the arena together. Shou had just launched the final attack on his opponent's life points, the counter hit zero and the crowd erupted into cheers. Then Shou, as someone who had learned to respect his opponents, went over to the duellist who had lost, so they could both shake hands. There were no hard feelings over a friendly duel.

"Without Shou, I wouldn't be where I am today. And I don't mean in this wheelchair," Ryo added, before Fubuki could start any sarcasm, "I did that to myself. He showed me what it was to be a true duellist when I had trailed down another path. We both have different methods, but we walk towards the same goal. We support each other, and he took my pain away from me."

"Cute," said Fubuki, who couldn't resist a quick poke of fun at Ryo's emotional side, "I'm sure he feels the same way."

"I need him more than he needs me, regardless of how he sees it," Ryo said confidently, still watching his brother as the younger boy smiled awkwardly for some photographers.

"I think you need each other about the same," answered Fubuki, looking from one to the other, "But enough deep talking. That duel lasted so long that the most divine experience I could have right now would be with a plate of gyoza. You want to grab Shou, so we can head out for something to eat? I don't mind paying."

So much for depth. But Ryo preferred it that way. He wasn't one to dwell on the past for too long, so Fubuki's bursts of random interest were long enough for him to handle, before something else undoubtedly distracted his friend.

Fubuki got to his feet and started pushing the wheelchair towards Shou, who waved when he noticed them both.

None of them doubted that Juudai was out somewhere having adventures like none of them had ever imagined before.

But for them, and for all who had known Juudai, the real divine experiences were centred on suddenly having very real lives to deal with. Which Ryo, Fubuki and Shou would be getting back to, right after lunch.


	86. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo’s time was coming to an end and people were starting to notice.

"What are you even doing here? If you don't intend to provide immediate assistance to Zweinstein's work, then I suggest that you leave." It could never be said that Hell Kaiser was particularly sensitive towards anyone, even someone who used to be his best friend.

It was a good thing for him that said former best friend was as dense as a rock when it came to being penetrated by insults.

"You're forgetting that I have family in that academia," Fubuki pointed out, "And besides…" he narrowed his eyes and smirked, "I'm not sure I want to let Edo Phoenix have you all to himself."

Ryo made a dismissive noise and turned to leave. There was a quick spasm of pain through his chest, as his heart hadn't been ready for the sudden movement. Without thinking he clutched at his heart, but let go quickly and hoped Fubuki hadn't noticed.

He had.

"How are all those stimulated duels going, anyway?" Fubuki asked, for all the accusation the question held, the tone he said it in was innocent enough.

Glaring back at him openly, Ryo replied, "I have decided not to partake in such things anymore."

"But it's too late now, isn't it? I'm not an idiot, Ryo. Those shocks have had more affect on your heart than you're showing anyone, and if you don't get it seen to now, who knows what could happen," Fubuki said.

"There's no time," Ryo informed, still seething from the aftershock of the pain his heart had caused him, "We have been provided with the tiniest window of opportunities and if we don't act as soon as the word's given, there might not be another chance to bring them back."

"And you might be dead by the time it's all over!"

"Then I die as I've always wanted to, as a duellist," Ryo said calmly. For all his heart was playing madness inside him, he was set on remaining his level self.

Fubuki clenched his fists, looking down at the floor. He would never insult Ryo by trying to stop him once he'd made up his mind to do something, but damn, looking back on the past year, not getting in the way of what Ryo was doing had caused Ryo to make a lot of mistakes. And also hurt himself more than anyone knew exactly how much.

"Just try not to make this duel with Johan your last," Fubuki replied, keeping his emotions in check, for all he wanted to punch Ryo.

"I have a feeling he won't be the final opponent I face," said Ryo, typically managing to avoid promising anything.

If only he knew what was coming. But at least he wasn't lying; this duel against Johan may not be his last. But by the time the next one would come, Fubuki himself would already be gone…


	87. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo did not like to be humiliated, so he was going to make Fubuki pay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the one of the Tag Force games; probably the first one.

Two things Ryo did not like above all else, humiliation and vulnerability. Because for all he valued respect, he was extremely proud, and most of the students held him in high regard.

There was one student who did not hold him in such regard, however, the student who had tried to set him up on a date with… he wasn't going to count how many girls had been there, for decency's sake he settled on the term 'several', yes, several girls, directly after his graduation match against Juudai. And when this had failed, it had gotten them both trapped inside the Obelisk Blue Boys' Dorm, which was surrounded by a few more than several girls.

Fubuki liked to make Ryo's life difficult.

So the crime was being a love magician, and the punishment was in Ryo's hands. Though currently the punishment had been placed around Fubuki's wrist.

The boy awoke from his slumber, knowing he needed a lot of time to get ready before going to watch the third year students leaving today and saying goodbye to everyone else for the summer. He tried to pull the blanket off himself and found his hand jerked back, unable to move more than a few inches.

Through sleep-filled eyes he turned his head to look at the hand, which lay just slightly above him. The sliver of silver was all Fubuki needed to see to recognise that he had been chained to the top of his own bed. It wasn't as if this was the first time something like this had happened to him.

Looking down, he saw that his other hand was free and by his side. He also saw Ryo, sitting just slightly on the edge of his bed, watching him with interest.

"I didn't think this was your style," Fubuki commented, trying to sound charming, even though he had only just woke up, "I'm surprised you even own something like this." He rattled the handcuff as a gesture to what he was talking about.

"I don't," said Ryo contentedly, "I found it in one of your drawers."

Caught by one of his own traps? Fubuki cursed himself for being so careless.

"Might I ask why then? If you wanted it so badly, all you needed to do was ask and I certainly would have provided," replied Fubuki, though he knew that Ryo's pride forbid him to ever ask for something like this.

"Because…" Ryo moved as he spoke, placing one arm on either side of Fubuki and moving closer to the other's face, "…If you had been asked, it wouldn't be punishment. You have to be as humiliated as you made me feel yesterday, and the vulnerability is just an added bonus."

Smiling up at the blue eyes above him, Fubuki admitted, "Other than catching me in my own room with my own toy, you haven't really done a lot to humiliate me, Ryo. This is my game; it takes a lot to embarrass me in this field. You can have the vulnerable part though, it really does feel odd to be at your mercy, and more than a little exciting." He flashed a smile.

"Nothing worries you, does it?" Ryo asked, he sounded ever so slightly huffed at that.

"Not really, but that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Ryo looked lost.

So Fubuki continued, "This is your first time right?" He paused long enough to let Ryo protest, before continuing, "Pretty bold statement for a beginner. But that's the way you do things; wouldn't want anyone to think you didn't know what you were doing, would you? At least this way, if you mess up you can trust I won't judge you."

He would have really liked to have had his hands free and a camera so he could take a picture of the look of indignant shock on Ryo's face.

"How!" Ryo demanded, "How can I have you tied up and you still turn it around so that you're on top?"

A one-armed shrug.

"Guess I'm just better at punishment than you."

Ryo would not forgive him for that, so it was good that the last thing Fubuki wanted right now was forgiveness.


	88. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki somehow manages to talk Ryo into going swimming with him and finds that even in the water Ryo is still stubborn.

It came quickly to Fubuki's attention that Ryo was not joking. Though that could mostly be because Ryo didn't joke, ever.

"But you spend so much time here," Fubuki replied, gesturing to the lighthouse and the water that surrounded it.

"That's because I like it," Ryo confirmed, "For the most part, it is quiet and out of the way. It's a good place to collect my thoughts while having something nice to look at."

Fubuki knew that the 'something nice to look at' was referring to the ocean, not himself or Asuka, who wasn't with them right now.

"But… it's just not possible for someone who spends so much time by the sea to not enjoy being in it," protested Fubuki.

Ryo answered, "Can you really picture me swimming?"

And Fubuki had to admit that he couldn't. At least not easily.

"Well, all right, if you can't swim I'll just drop it," said Fubuki, indifferently.

"There's a difference between not being able to do something and not enjoying doing it," Ryo said, a bit offended at the accusation.

Turning away to hide his amusement, Fubuki went on, "You might well be able to. But if you don't swim, I'll never see you doing it, so you can't really prove that point either way."

"You're a difficult man," Ryo commented, fully aware of the trap he had fallen into and not caring, "I'll meet you there at sunset."

"Where?"

"The beach, of course. You can hardly expect to go swimming around here." He had a good point, lighthouses were generally put in place to warn sailors against rocks, and there were a lot of rocks around the cliff face nearby.

"All right, I'll meet you there." Fubuki could hardly wait.

By the time he did go to meet Ryo at the beach, most of the other students had already gone in for the day, with the few remaining stragglers at enough of a distance to not see either of them. He was kitted out in his usual black bodysuit that he used for surfing. As Ryo approached in a pair of dark blue trunks, the stoic boy was starting to regret not being as prepared tackle the water as Fubuki was.

"You look great!" Fubuki called over, before Ryo had a chance to threaten him not to say anything.

"Can we just get on with this?" Ryo walked past him and into the water, the shallow waves lapping against his ankles.

"By all mean," said Fubuki, following behind him and wading through the water until they were both up to their waists.

As the two stopped, there was a short pause as Fubuki waited eagerly for Ryo to start swimming. With a shifting of limbs that could only be described as 'awkward', Ryo lowered himself into the water and started moving ahead in a breaststroke. Fubuki followed him, finding it easy to keep up since he'd had a lot more practise at swimming than Ryo had.

"You're pretty good," he commented, watching the movement of Ryo's arms with an interest that was slightly more than healthy.

Ryo didn't answer. His gaze was set ahead; he seemed to be putting his whole focus into this.

After a few more minutes, Fubuki said, "We can go back now, if you want. You've more than proved your point."

Ryo made a sudden turn and stopped to look at him, drops of water trickling down his chest slowly. It was hard not to stare.

"I'm already out here now, we can carry on until it gets too dull or dark to continue," he said, and then turned back to swimming.

Considering Ryo was the blandest person Fubuki had ever met, it was difficult to try and think of what he would view as 'too dull', but Fubuki didn't mind. He liked being in the water and he liked being with Ryo, so this was a perfect combination of the two.

It got dark before it got too dull for Ryo, and even then, the two carried on moving through the water, not venturing too far away from the island. The darkness didn't bother Fubuki in the slightest, as much as he was loath to admit that, and it didn't seem to hold any troubles for Ryo, either.

By the time they walked back onto the shore, he estimated that it was probably long past midnight.

"I enjoyed this," said Ryo, picking up one of the towels they'd left on the shore and running it through his hair, "If it wasn't such an undignified activity, we could do it again."

"Undignified? I could name a few people who would pay to see you like this," Fubuki laughed, looking at the towel and the wet hair intently.

"Well, they can spend their money on something more useful," replied Ryo, throwing another towel at Fubuki, "Because they're not going to see me in the water anytime soon."

No, Fubuki thought, that privilege is mine alone.


	89. Fubuki (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki reflects on two people who certainly weren’t heroes.

_You could save the world - you certainly saved me._

Fubuki thought to himself, during those hours of the night when you tended not to remember the next morning exactly what it was you'd kept yourself awake for so long thinking about.

That technically wasn't true. Juudai had been the one to defeat Darkness on the volcano, but they had all been there trying to help him out of it, looking for him the whole time. Ryo had saved him as much as Juudai or Asuka had, as far as Fubuki was concerned.

_But that isn't your style is it? You don't even look the part. If there's any world saving to be done then you'd do it with a begrudging expression and you definitely wouldn't stick around for any praise afterwards._

He wondered why he was saying these things in his head and not to Ryo himself. But he knew that if he'd spouted such rubbish to Ryo, Hell Kaiser or otherwise, that he'd be shot dead by that glare before he'd even finished the sentence.

"Why couldn't you do the right thing?" he said, looking at a photo on the sideboard of himself and Ryo standing next to each other in their school uniforms, "Why did you have to go seek victory above all else? Why could you be… more like Juudai?"

Even as he said it that sounded wrong. Juudai might have been cut from the hero cloth, but he wasn't perfect either, he had his faults. Wanting Ryo to be like him was the same as wanting Ryo to not be the same person anymore.

Fubuki just wanted to know what cloth Ryo was cut from. If it was the stuff of heroes, then the tailor had certainly followed an unusual pattern.

_And what about you?_ He could almost hear the photo say back to him; _what have you done to save anyone's life recently? I don't see you bounding to Juudai's side to fight against Saiou. You haven't got your sister back or come to talk to me about the change. You're no better._

And he knew that his own accusations were right. He was not a hero. Ryo was not a hero. They would both go to sleep tonight filled with their own worries and self importance and the world would be the same place tomorrow as it was right now. And at the moment, that wasn't a great place.

So Fubuki turned over, closing his eyes and shutting out any thoughts of Ryo or heroes or any combination of the two.

His own role was out there somewhere; he just hadn't found it yet.


	90. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The losing streak had lasted a long time and wasn’t showing any signs of letting up.

He'd been having a losing streak for a long time. Not all at the same time, because for a while, he'd started winning again, but really, he looked back on the past few years as being a long losing streak, in multiple senses of the word.

Though not everything that had happened had been bad - his brother Shou was now a Pro League duellist and everyone he knew seemed to be making something of themselves; but as far as his duelling was concerned…

It had started, quite publicly, when Ryo had entered the Pro League and lost to Edo. For a long while after that, Ryo couldn't win at all, until he took up Monkey's deal and changed who he was. After that, he started winning again, and anything else caused through that change he mostly didn't regret.

But the price of winning took its toll, and the methods he'd been using to grab victory certainly hadn't been cheap. He lost to Johan, who was at the time controlled by Yubel, and part of the reason he'd lost had been because he was physically unable to do it. Then he had to forfeit his match against Makoto because, again, he couldn't handle the strain duelling had on him.

In a way, he was glad of that, because it had given Shou a chance to prove himself; but it felt like his days of duelling and winning were over.

The Cyberdark deck was gone now, in the hands of the person who rightfully deserved it, and Ryo was left creating a new deck and following in Shou's footsteps. He'd made several by this point, though he hadn't particularly settled on one. Creating decks kept him from being idle, and it almost felt strange to be able to play a card and not experience pain from it.

He practised against one of the few people who it didn't hurt his ego to lose against, and who also was spontaneous enough to come over and duel at any given time, no questions asked.

Fubuki stared across at him from the other end of the table; between them was one of the cheap makeshift duel mats that you could get free at pretty much any promotional event that involved Duel Monsters.

"You could try using something that isn't a machine or a dragon sometime," Fubuki commented, trying to be helpful. He'd had to force himself from saying 'and' instead of 'or' because more often than not. Ryo's test decks tended to make several appearances from Cyber Dragon-related monsters.

"I should," Ryo agreed, looking at the Cyber Ouroboros in his hand, "But… whenever I try, they just seem to turn up. Using them feels right, but at the same time wrong, because they do not truly belong to me anymore."

"Shou inherited your Cyberdark monsters, he didn't make you sign a contract saying you can never use anything with 'Cyber' in it's name again," Fubuki pointed out, "Isn't there a whole dojo for teaching people how to use these cards? It's not as if they're limited to one person in the world."

They both knew this was the case; Ryo himself had been a student there.

"I know but…"

But what? The feeling of belonging he used to get from looking at those cards had being replaced with an awkward uncertainty. He couldn't see Duel Spirits, so there was no way he could ask the dragons themselves what they thought. All he had was a vague feeling of how they may have felt about it.

"Not every duellist there used dragons," Ryo corrected, "Samejima had his ogres to start with. And there aren't really enough types of Cyber cards for me to build a deck that doesn't incorporate the ones I've always used."

He sighed. Losing streaks were never ending.

"Maybe not now, but what about new cards that are being released?" Fubuki said, optimistically.

"Sure, I can wait a few years." Ryo's tone was sarcastic.

"We do have a friend who's a card designer, you know," reminded Fubuki, trying not to roll his eyes.

"If by 'friend' you mean a guy who hung around with my brother and I occasionally said a few words to. You can't exactly ring up a guy and ask him to make cards for you, that's using him and probably cheating," Ryo said, firmly.

Fubuki momentarily wondered if it was possible to accuse a card designer of cheating.

"Well… try using something different, then. Who knows how many decks I've been through," he pointed out.

"I suppose so," said Ryo, eying the pile of unused cards in the corner of his room.

As he did this, Fubuki started to text Hayato. Regardless of moral standards, if he had to watch Ryo mope any longer, he'd never be able to pick up his deck again either.

He was going to get him out of this losing streak if it killed him.


	91. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you can find a lighthouse, then you can find Ryo.

There was a lighthouse in the city, too.

None of them particularly knew how long it had been there, as it wasn't something anyone would have looked out for before attending Duel Academia, but it was there now. And when Ryo disappeared for a considerable length of time without telling anyone where he was going, then it'd be a safe bet to anyone who knew him that the lighthouse would be where he was.

That was just Ryo's way - sometimes he wanted to make himself impossible to contact. He'd just turn his phone off and that would be that. After a few hours, he'd come back and bury himself in work as always. Arranging Shou's career certainly gave him something to keep his mind busy.

Some people, on the other hand, didn't take a hint. Fubuki was the sort of person who, if you left a note on your door saying 'sleeping, do not disturb', would climb up your drainpipes into your room just to make sure you hadn't been burgled and the note on the door wasn't cunningly left there by the burglars to fool him. So when Ryo turned off his phone and went to that lighthouse at the pier, it didn't stop Fubuki from following him.

He walked down the length of the pier, watching the back of Ryo's wheelchair come more into focus as he got closer.

"It's getting dark now," he commented offhandedly, leaning against the rail at the end of the pier, which was presumably put there to stop tourists wandering over the edge. Oddly enough, there hadn't been one of those at Duel Academia.

"That's hardly important, is it?" replied Ryo, without taking his eyes from the ocean ahead.

That was a good point; any muggers who'd try to take advantage of Ryo for being in a wheelchair would find themselves sorely regretting the choice.

"Just checking to make sure you hadn't fallen asleep here," Fubuki joked, he then stood on the bottom line of the rail to get a better look at the ocean below.

His friend didn't comment telling him to be careful, if Fubuki fell in he would simply swim to the nearest ladder and tell him about how fun the experience had been when he'd climbed back up to the top.

After a few moments of silence, Fubuki said, "I wonder how deep it really is down there…"

"I've seen swimmers around occasionally," answered Ryo, "And obviously it must be at least deep enough for boats to dock, but I doubt it's much more than that."

"Do you think there are any mermen down there…" Fubuki continued to muse, to which Ryo made a dismissive noise.

They remained there for a while longer, Fubuki's hair draped down past his face in a way that almost looked attractive to Ryo as he looked below. For all Fubuki was one of the most talkative people he'd ever met, the boy seemed quite content with the silences that a friendship with Ryo created.

"Look! Look at that!" Fubuki called suddenly, pointing frantically at the water.

Easing himself out of the wheelchair, the rail being a handy support to grab onto, Ryo peered over the edge, half expecting to see a plastic bag with a clump of seaweed attached that Fubuki would then claim to be a mermaid… or merman. Whichever.

Instead a shoal of small silver fish, which were darting through the shallows in one direction, only to then quickly turn and move off in another as if they were moving in union, greeted him.

"They're amazing, how often do they come and do that?" Fubuki whispered in fascination.

"I've never seen them before…" confessed Ryo, who spent most of his time here staring out to sea, not looking at what was so close to his own feet.

Within a few minutes, the shoal scattered and fled off further away from them, so they couldn't see the fish anymore.

After they did, Ryo eased himself back into the wheelchair, and through subconscious habit, Fubuki moved behind it to start pushing the chair for him.

"It can't be that deep then, if we could see the fish," Fubuki mumbled, in answer to his own question.

There was a pause for thought.

Then Ryo answered, "I'm sure it's only as deep as our friendship."

"Oh, very funny."

The wheelchair went over a bump that was strong enough to jolt Ryo, not enough to hurt him but enough to remind him that he wasn't smugly in charge of their relationship.

He liked that reminder.


	92. Ryo/Fubuki/Edo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki had many ways of getting guests onto the Bucky Show.

What ran through both of their heads, though they didn't know that the other was here at this point in time, was probably something along the lines of 'why did I agree to do this?' and other vague statements of this sort.

They didn't feel that they owed it to him, and it wasn't as if his charms worked on either of them. Was it some sort of deep ground-in worry that he might blackmail them? That seemed closer to the mark. Behind that charming smile and nice-guy personality was someone who was quite cunning.

So why, they both asked themselves as they walked in through different doors, was _he_ here?

Ryo and Edo stared across the waiting room at each other with mild distain. They had been drawn together by circumstances in the past, but what sort of circumstance would involve being on the set of the Bucky Show?

That answer might soon become clear as the host of the show himself came walking cheerfully over after waving himself off set. Fubuki smiled at each of them with the sort of grin that suggested the person giving it had no idea what they've done wrong. Both the other two returned it with a look of great dislike.

"Why is he here?" Edo asked first, because between someone else talking and Ryo talking, it was almost always the other person who started the conversation, "I thought that you invited me here to be the guest on your show?"

"I did," said Fubuki, who apparently wasn't seeing the problem.

"You told me I was scheduled for tonight," Ryo added in, feeling as if his time had been wasted. And that was a dangerous feeling in regards to the person who was wasting his time.

"You are," agreed Fubuki, still cheerfully.

Worried about what the answer was going to be, Edo ploughed on, "So which one of us is your guest?"

"Both of you are," answered Fubuki, beaming from one to the other.

The feeling of ice that ran through the room could have made Mobius the Frost Monarch want a warmer jacket.

After what felt like far too long, but couldn't have been more than a few seconds, Ryo stated, "That's rather ambitious of you."

"Well, you two had quite a major run-in in the arena a few years back, so it seemed that now the dust has settled, it'd be a good idea to get your opinions on what happened and what you've been doing since then," Fubuki said.

"Fubuki… on the list of ideas that would be considered bad, you have just scored top place," Ryo told him in annoyance.

"Come on guys, it's been introduced now and people want to see you two. And we've only got a few more minutes until the end of the commercial break," pleaded Fubuki.

At this point, Edo decided he owed Fubuki nothing and turned to leave. Even Ryo, who gave Fubuki some allowances because of their friendship, was considering doing the same.

"Sorry, but you can't just drop this sort of thing one someone out of the blue and expect them to go along with it," he said.

Fubuki knew he was putting his cards on the table too soon, but he said, loud enough for the retreating Edo to hear, "I'll make it worth your while."

Some people would claim that Edo held self-interest a little too close to heart. Those people would be right.

"Oh?" he said, stopping to look back, "What could you do that would be worth my while? It's not as if I need promotion from this second-rate show of yours."

"Something that's not on sale for anyone else," Fubuki answered, eyes lidded.

Ryo caught on to what he meant a lot quicker than Edo did, surprisingly.

"I've known you for a long time and can safely say that's been on sale to a lot of people," Ryo said, flatly.

Waving a dismissive hand, Fubuki answered, "I've settled more now, Ryo. Whether you believe it or not, I don't offer my services as freely as before. Especially not to two guys at the same time."

Getting what they were meaning, Edo's eyes widened with indignant shock.

"You're not seriously suggesting that we… both of us… with you! I'm not that cheap!" he insisted quickly.

Fubuki shrugged, glancing over his shoulders.

"Looks like the curtain's raising again now," the star stated, "I've got to go back out. If you two, either of you, want to follow, that's your choice. If not, then I'll find something else to do. A true idol always has a trick up his sleeve."

With that, he was gone, elegantly walking back on stage to welcome his viewers back from their chance to wander off to the kitchen and get something to eat. They both watched him as if he was mad. Which was quite probable.

It was an ambitious gamble, and one that could easily fail. They both knew that doing this would mean their pride would be lost, with witnesses to it being taken away. Two witnesses that would get a good view…

They looked at one another, both thinking that they could walk away right now and forget this ever happened.

Then they both walked on stage.


	93. Ryo & Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki liked being good at sports and impressing women. He didn't like having either of these factors threatened.

Fubuki was rarely ever on time for class.

Fubuki rarely ever paid attention during said class when he got there.

And the only reason that Fubuki got away with this was because he was a genius.

Somehow he had managed to become one of the elite students at Duel Academia, because on those occasions when he did bother to do work, the work he produced was flawless. Even Ryo, who would never dare skip class, had some vague admiration for how he pulled it off.

But that didn't change the fact that Fubuki had no time-keeping skills. With the exception of one class - Physical Education. Call it P.E., call it Gym Class, call it whatever you want to call it, but that won't change it from being that period of time during the week when teachers make you run around until your body cried out for you to stop. And even after that, they'd still make you run some more.

It was a class that many students had a hatred of which had been ground in from an early age. There were always, however, those select few who actually enjoyed it. They usually fell into the tall and good-looking category. Fubuki was right at home there.

So every week, without fail, he'd turn up for the class within perfect time, kitted out and ready to partake in whatever sport was thrown at them this time. Another reason he may have turned up on time was because the teacher was hot.

"Do you think Ayukawa is looking over here?" Fubuki asked, jogging on the spot.

It would have taken Ryo a great effort not to roll his eyes, so he didn't bother stopping himself.

"I don't think so, she's still trying to find out if Ayanokouji broke that window this morning," he answered, glancing over to where the red-headed P.E. teacher was interrogating a boy who was holding a tennis racket and looking sheepish.

Blowing some hair out of his face, Fubuki smirked and replied, "She needs to bother asking? Do any of the other students carry a racket wherever they go?"

"Just because a tennis ball breaks a window, that doesn't instantly mean it's him who did it."

"But it is usually him."

"Very true."

Their conversation was cut short as Ayukawa finished scolding the luckless student and walked over to the rest of the class, a clipboard held in her hands.

"Now, this week we're going to be track running again," she began, watching as they all lined up somewhat orderly, "I've got here the times you produced last time we did this and I want to see improvements on them. Some of you… just weren't up to standard." Her eyes trailed for a moment on Fubuki before looking down the rest of the line.

Any normal person would have just shrugged this off, but Fubuki's face morphed into an expression of horror.

Edging closer to Ryo, he mumbled, "Did you see that? She was implying that I was slow!"

"I think she was just looking at you," whispered Ryo, in the tone of someone who didn't enjoy talking while the teacher was talking, but also didn't want to be impolite by ignoring the person muttering at him.

"But… I'm the best in the school!" Fubuki protested, quite loudly for someone who was whispering.

He shut up as Ayukawa walked back up towards them, still in mid-pep talk; "…and I can only hope that those who did well last time continue to do so this time." She definitely made eye contact with Ryo.

There didn't need to be any words now, the look Fubuki gave Ryo clearly said 'traitor'.

"The difference this time is that instead of timing you all individually, I want you to race each other on the track," concluded the teacher, leading the boys to said track.

"This'll be a good chance to settle the score," Fubuki told Ryo.

"We have a score in the first place?" replied Ryo, raising an eyebrow.

Despite that the two were currently rivals, they still stood next to each other on the track; old habits died hard. Plus this way, Fubuki felt it would be easier to try and match Ryo.

As the whistle blew the first time, each of the boys lowered into position, then a stronger blast of the whistle set them off to a running start.

It didn't take long for those who were solely attending Duel Academia to learn card games to fall behind into a wheezing mess, as only a few of the students were particularly known for being good at athletics. Ryo found running easy, but then he was naturally good at most things he tried. On a normal day, Fubuki wouldn't have even had to think about this, as physical activities were what he did. Running was easy compared to surfing. But right now he had the corner of his eyes focused on Ryo, the seconds ticking away in his head.

Ryo was just slightly ahead. Darn, this wasn't good. Fubuki put all he could into bridging the gap, willing his body to go that little bit further.

He had to make a better time than Ryo; he just had to.

Then, beyond all expectations, Ryo slowed down and stopped running. Fubuki almost tripped up looking back to see what had happened, but it didn't seem that there was anything wrong – just that Ryo had lost interest.

It seemed impossible that Ryo would disrespect a class like that, but whatever the reason, it would all add up to Fubuki looking better in Ayukawa's eyes.

He kept going. He moved further and further. He had to be way out in front now…

That was when he realised he was the only one running.

Doubling over, Fubuki breathed heavily with his hands on his knees. After a moment he started to walk back over to the group, muscles feeling a bit more painful now that the adrenaline had worn off.

"W-what… happened…?" he panted at Ryo as he got there.

"Nothing happened, the race just ended," said Ryo, looking slightly surprised, "We finished here," he motioned at the line he'd stopped at earlier, "But you kept on running. You must have covered nearly twice the distance of everyone else."

Fubuki looked at him as if he was deciding how much damage to Ryo's person he could get away with without breaking their friendship.

"Ayukawa saw at least? Tell me she saw…" pleaded Fubuki.

"Unfortunately she had to help one of the boys who had an asthma attack near the start of the race," Ryo informed, "But I think Chronos got a good view."

At that, Fubuki collapsed on the ground. Perhaps P.E. was another class where coming on time was overrated.


	94. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Ryo had never met Fubuki, then there would probably be a lot of things he would never have tried. This was one of them.

"I'm beginning to think you can talk me into anything."

"I'm beginning to think that I can, too," Fubuki agreed with Ryo, somewhat smugly.

Ryo made a mental note to knock Fubuki's cockiness down a peg or two later, but not today. Today, his punishment had already been set.

At least he wasn't anywhere near anyone he knew. At least the time of year was right for it. At least everyone else looked pretty much just as ridiculous as he did. There were a lot of 'at least' excuses that could be applied to the situation, but none of them particularly made him feel any better.

The fact of the matter was that he was standing, while conscious and therefore able to make a choice about it, outside of a beach shack, wearing… and this was the worst part… wearing a Hawaiian shirt.

It wasn't the worst Hawaiian shirt that could ever happen; at least it wasn't bright red with yellow flowers on to start with. Ryo had to admit that if it were possible for clothing of this nature to suit him, then dark blue with white flowers was as close to it as he could get. But it was just not him.

He had to do this though, because it had been brought up that he owed Fubuki. He wasn't exactly sure what he owed him for, but though he'd never admit it, he had something of a guilty conscience where his friend was concerned, so if Fubuki said he owed him, then he probably did. If not for all that happened a few years ago, then definitely for the amount of times Fubuki had promoted Shou's career recently.

So there he was, wearing a Hawaiian Shirt, standing next to Fubuki, who was also wearing one. Any minute now, Fubuki was going to make some inappropriate comment like…

"We could be shirt buddies, you know?"

…Just like that one he just made, and another nail would be hammered into the coffin of Ryo's dignity.

"Why is the shirt so important?" Ryo asked, bemusedly.

Giving him one of those looks that he gave when Ryo had missed the point, Fubuki answered, "Because they keep you cool. This isn't exactly the weather for your usual leather, Ryo, and if you want to try jet skiing, then you'll need to be wearing something that can take some wear and tear."

Ryo gawked at him like he had gone mad.

"I don't want to try jet skiing," he said, cautiously.

"But I thought that was what we agreed to," teased Fubuki, "Or did I forget to mention it when arranging our day out."

"Yes, I believe that you did," Ryo said firmly, knowing fine well that Fubuki was trying to trap him.

"But we're here now and I've rented them out, and I really think you'd enjoy it when you get into it," Fubuki went on.

Staring directly at him, Ryo answered, "What could possibly make you think that I'd enjoy that?"

"Because I know you too well," Fubuki replied.

"No, no you don't. I thought you knew me at least a little better than that, but I now see that you don't know me at all. If you did, then you'd have never even suggest something like that. The shirt was far enough." He was walking backwards as he said it, almost stepping into another man before turning around to mutter a rushed apology.

"It's okay, bro," the man shrugged it off indifferently, "You're the two here for the skis, yeah?"

"That would be us," Fubuki chimed cheerfully, stepping up beside Ryo.

"You can have them for about two hours," the guy said, motioning to the two crafts behind him, "If you want more than that, you'll have to book again."

"I think two hours will be more than enough." It was Ryo that spoke this time.

Fubuki beamed at him; "So you'll do it?"

"Just once," Ryo answered, "Then you never ask me to do something like this ever again."

Fubuki nodded all too eagerly.

It took Ryo more time than he would have liked to work out how to stand on the Jet Ski, almost falling into the water at least once, only to be saved by his more confident friend. Eventually they were riding across the shallow part of the beach at something of a slow pace. Ryo had no doubt that Fubuki could drive faster than this, and had seen him do so on several occasions, but he was thankful that his friend respected him enough to stay near to his side.

"You're doing great, most people don't have this much confidence on their first time," he called over to Ryo, though he knew fine well that Ryo always showed confidence, even when he wasn't particularly feeling it.

"This is actually quite relaxing," Ryo admitted. He probably would have felt more comfortable on a boat, but at the same time, he felt more in-control of this craft. It was like choosing a motorbike over a car.

"We should do it again sometime," Fubuki said, though he still remembered Ryo's earlier warning. He glanced towards the shore where the person he had rented the skis from was waiting presumably for them. Two hours had flowed by.

After giving Ryo a brief lesson on how to park a ski boat, the two climbed off and headed up the beach. Even Ryo was feeling up to a drink from the beach shack at this point.

"That was… more interesting than I expected it to be," Ryo admitted as they walked.

"Yeah, at least you can say you tried it," agreed Fubuki. It was a shame he wouldn't want to do it again, but Ryo had seemed to enjoy the more relaxed part of the ride. There were plenty of watercrafts that were relaxing, too.

Yes, next time that 'just once' that he'd talk Ryo into would be gondolas. In Venice. Now how could he trick Ryo into agreeing to that…?


	95. Juudai & Fubuki (feat. Ryo/Fubuki)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juudai and Fubuki catch up with each other after graduation.

"There aren't many songs that I know off the top of my head about the desert, couldn't you have chose to go wondering in somewhere a bit more mainstream," Fubuki's voice came across the phone as the video moved into better focus. Juudai had just about found somewhere high enough to sit that gave him some half decent reception on the thing.

"I didn't really ask to come here, this is just sort of where I was… dropped off," answered Juudai, who was still being a bit vague with the others in regard to what happened to him after he'd left Duel Academia when he could afford to be, "And why do you even need to sing at all?"

In a tone of mock-hurt, Fubuki said, "It's like you don't know me at all! You've been away for a few months now, so naturally I have to sing you a song so you know we're still thinking about you."

"How are the others, anyway?" Juudai asked, wanting to latch onto a part of the conversation that he could understand, instead of trying to work out Fubuki's logic. The weather was getting to him a bit and serious thinking was never one of his strong points to begin with.

"Oh, they're all doing really well," Fubuki replied, always one to love talking about other people, "You know that Asuka was going to study abroad and Manjoume's only been doing better and better since his career kick started before you left. Shou's starting to get a bit of attention, too. Though I have to admit I've not really been keeping up with as many people as I could have been. You never notice until you're gone just how many people you knew there."

Juudai had to agree about that. Sometimes, when he couldn't sleep at night, he thought about how his friends might be doing, only to realise he'd made quite a lot of friends to think about.

"You've not even been keeping up with Kaiser?" he asked idly, as Pharaoh climbed up onto his lap.

"Ryo, well… yes. I've been keeping up with him."

"You have?" The pausing wasn't usual for Fubuki and attracted Juudai's interest.

"He's a busy guy," Fubuki answered, defensively, "He's been trying to help Shou start up in the Pro Leagues, but he's made time for me."

"That's nice of him," Juudai answered, indifferently. Ryo wasn't particularly known for being sociable, but people said that him and Fubuki had been good friends at one point. That was what they said anyway, Juudai hadn't really seen them hanging out with each other much, personally.

"He's not all scowls and glares, you know," Fubuki laugh a little, "There is a friendlier side to him deep down. Um, very deep down."

"Sounds like a lot of work to find it," said Juudai, suspiciously, scratching behind one of Pharaoh's ears.

A slight pause, then Fubuki answered, "I'm prepared to put in the work."

"Oh?" The tone to Juudai's voice now was akin to Fubuki's own when he was prying into someone's love life.

"Well, yeah. Anyway. Songs! I've been looking on the Internet while we were talking, and I think I've found a few songs about the desert that I know well enough to sing for you," Fubuki said.

"Nah, it's all right," Juudai answered, trying not to laugh, "The connection doesn't last very long here, so I want to talk to as many of you as possible while I can."

"Any excuse to not hear me sing," Fubuki moped, "I'll have you know that one day I'll be on TV and people will watch me everyday to hear my singing."

Juudai had no doubt that Fubuki would be on TV someday, though he didn't think it would be for his singing.

"You'll have to tell me when you are and I'll find a TV," he answered, "But I better get going. I hope everything goes well, for you and Kaiser both."

He hung up before Fubuki had a chance to protest, though he would have loved to see Fubuki's indignant face at being accused of dating Ryo. At least that was one set of friends done; he could count on those two to look after each other in their own strange way. He went through his phone to find the next number that came after Fubuki's.

Back at an apartment in Domino, Fubuki stared at the blank screen and blinked a few times. When had Juudai got so good at figuring out relationships?

Maybe one day, Juudai would even be able to sort out his own love life, Fubuki mused to himself. But no, today wasn't a day to ask for miracles.


	96. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some people just don’t understand how delicate white clothes can be.

The problem with Ryo, _one_ of the problems with Ryo, was that he was too proud to admit to his own mistakes. For all he valued respect so much, inside him was that streak of pride he could not escape. Perhaps he'd been brought up that way, Fubuki didn't really know. But he was starting to know Ryo well enough to know when he was hiding something.

"So you're ready for class?" he asked, after walking into Ryo's dorm room.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" replied his friend, putting some reference books into a bag.

Looking around curiously, Fubuki went on, "Well, I heard some noise from here earlier and was wondering if you were all right."

"I'm fine," muttered Ryo stubbornly, "It was just some books that I dropped, but they've been picked up now."

"Some cards too," observed Fubuki, eying a Cyber Kirin that Ryo must have missed when cleaning the mess.

"Yes, well…" Leaning down, Ryo took hold of the card and Fubuki caught sight of his hand.

"Blood?"

"It's just a paper cut," mumbled Ryo, covering the hand over before Fubuki could get a closer look, "Now we should hurry up unless you want to be late for class."

Smirking, Fubuki corrected, "You mean you don't want to be late for being early for class?"

Everyone knew that Ryo was not only one of the best students in the school, but also valued the classes enough to show up ahead of time for most of them. On the days that it suited him, Fubuki would accompany Ryo, but today he felt the world wouldn't collapse if Ryo wasn't the first one in the lecture theatre.

"Let me take a look," he went on, walking over and taking hold of the offending hand before Ryo had a chance to protest.

The cut itself wasn't bad, but then it was just a paper cut. They stung more than anything else. He squeezed it slightly and a drop of blood leaked out, causing Ryo to wince.

"Just as I thought, this is most serious," Fubuki confirmed.

"It is?" Ryo raised an eyebrow, wondering if Fubuki was seeing the same injury that he was.

"It could very well be a disaster if we don't get it seen to. Imagine getting blood on that lovely white uniform of yours. White is one of the worst colours for staining Ryo, how many times do I need to tell you that?" said Fubuki solemnly.

Ryo shook his head at this. Typical Fubuki.

But when he next looked up, Fubuki had managed to retrieve a bandage from somewhere in his pocket and was wrapping it around the finger.

"I really think you're going overboard about this," Ryo told him.

"Perhaps so," commented Fubuki, still engrossed in bandaging, "But if you stained your outfit, that would also make you look tardy. And the Kaiser wouldn't want to appear less than perfect, hm?"

Ryo made a dismissive noise and looked away in embarrassment. That was true, after all.

"Why do you even have bandages with you, anyway?" he made do with asking, so he could change the subject.

"Oh, that's simple," Fubuki said, winking at him, "If I fall out of a tree, I'd want some handsome man to make it all better. You've got to prepare for these things."

Which was also typically Fubuki. Sometimes Ryo had no idea what to do with him.


	97. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Returning to Duel Academia for the one year reunion, on a plane.

"So, if the plane crashes, you have to use this thing here and put your head in your lap to cushion yourself, or if you have a baby, you can use that instead. What if you have two babies, do you pick your favourite?"

"Fubuki, you're going to get in trouble if one of the hosts sees that you've already blown up your life jacket," Ryo replied, trying to ignore the bright orange garment that his friend was waving around as a demonstration.

"Not likely, I already flirted with the good looking ones when we were getting on, everyone is powerless to my charms," Fubuki replied, flashing him a smile.

Ryo shook his head and looked out of the window.

"Duel Academia, I wonder what's changed since we've been gone," he said.

Struggling to get the inflated life jacket under his seat, Fubuki replied, "It's only been a year. Bet they were happy to get through a full school term without anything too dangerous happening."

"It feels strange coming back with you," Ryo confessed, "I wasn't actually part of Juudai's year, after all."

"I only was because I had to be held back," reminded Fubuki, though being held back had nothing to do with his lack of skill, so much as it had to do with Fubuki being kidnapped, "And you're one of us, Ryo, even if you won't admit to it. Samejima wouldn't have allowed for you to be left out."

Smiling at the clouds outside, Ryo momentarily wondered who was worse at messing with his life between Fubuki, Samejima or even Shou.

"My brother will be meeting us there, he wanted to go ahead to see if Juudai was around," he said, idly.

"There's a surprise," Fubuki laughed, "I'm glad that Asuka could make it as well, it's been a long time since I've even seen her. And everyone else was a miss, especially the cute girls. I wonder how Rei's been handling the second year; I heard she finally picked up a Blue uniform. Bet it looks good on her."

"She's still too young for you," Ryo reminded, the slightest edge of jealousy creeping into his voice.

Fubuki made a dismissive noise, then said, "Anyway, I hope they bring around the snacks soon, I could go for a plate of gyoza." And Ryo had no doubt that Fubuki would ask for something as inappropriate and awkward to make, even on a plane.

"Don't you think it's amazing?" Ryo asked quietly.

"What is?" Fubuki looked at him curiously.

"You'd never have even been able to imagine it at the beginning, but somehow, we all grew up and flew away from this place," answered Ryo, watching Duel Academia become an approaching dot on the horizon.

"And now we're flying back, on a plane no less," agreed Fubuki cheerfully.

Ryo quietly wondered if they'd ever truly be able to leave, or if they would all be drawn back here for one reason or another. He shuddered to think of the ten year later reunion, which would probably be much worse than this one year reunion that he was attending. Though technically he was just a 'plus guest' who was attending with Fubuki.

"Though we could have done it with more style," mused Fubuki.

"You think the boat is more stylish?" Ryo asked, confused.

Waving a hand, Fubuki said, "Of course not. But if we flew here imagine riding in on a giant swan, we'd be the talk of the school for years."

"Yes. They'd all be wanting to know how it had been physically possible to ride the swan, as well as where we managed to find one that size," Ryo replied, flatly.

"You have no imagination," pouted Fubuki, "But I wouldn't want to steal the swan from Asuka, that truly is her bird."

Though he hadn't been around at the time, Ryo had heard rumours of when the Tenjoin siblings had duelled, that poor Asuka had been paraded into the arena on the back of a mechanical swan, soon after her brother had flown in on strings. Really Fubuki had some issues he needed to address.

"I think she'd object to that," answered Ryo.

"You and her are too similar sometimes," protested Fubuki, "It's still my mission to make you both lighten up a little."

"That was your mission in the first place?"

"Well you know now, so be wary."

"I'll be more careful when I start seeing you riding a giant swan," joked Ryo.

"Sooner than you think," warned Fubuki. And suddenly he knew what he was going to ride on for the next special episode of the Bucky Show.


	98. Ryo, Fubuki & Asuka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asuka had completed her studying abroad, which meant it was time for celebrating, which also meant that Ryo had to socialise with other people. He wasn’t happy about that.

He didn't ever feel comfortable at events like this.

Not because he wasn't used to them, alongside all the bad things that had happened during the past few years, there had also been many causes for celebration, but that didn't particularly mean he had to like them.

He also still wasn't very steady on his feet after finally getting rid of the wheelchair. In most cases, he would use a cane to support himself, but he couldn't bring himself to use one during such a large public event as this.

Not to mention a lot of people he knew were here, or at least a lot of people he knew _of_ at any rate. Glancing towards the over-the-top buffet at one side of the room, he saw Shou making conversation with Kenzan. In some ways Ryo was slightly envious of his brother, because having grown more confident, Shou found people a lot easier to talk to than Ryo ever could himself.

Given the strange array of people they had met over the years, Ryo fit into a fancy society occasion like this better than some of them did visually, but he still felt odd. Why was formal dress associated with clothes that tried to cut off your circulation?

To keep his mind occupied, he made his way through the crowd, looking out for the person who all this was for. The reason so many of them had dropped their usual day-to-day activities to get a plane to America, Asuka Tenjoin. The Queen of Obelisk Blue had surprised them all by expressing interest in doing further studying abroad to become a teacher instead of going to the Pro Leagues. But they supported her choice, and now she had completed her studies to become a fully qualified duel instructor.

"Asuka," he greeted, after finding her among the crowd, "Congratulations." He was never big on words, but she knew him well enough to be aware of that.

"Thank you," she replied, "I'm really amazed that so many of you managed to come."

Ryo wasn't amazed by this fact at all, but kept his opinion on the matter to himself; instead inquiring, "A few people have been saying you're not coming back to Japan." It wasn't a question directly, but it was intended as one.

"They would be right," she confirmed, "I've made a few good connections here, so it seemed I'd have a strong chance to get a good placement."

"Aren't you going to try and get into Duel Academia?" he asked, since that was what a lot of them had been expecting her to do when she finished studying.

Laughing good-naturedly, she said, "Maybe. Someday, we'll see. It would be nice to work alongside the people who taught me, but at the same time, I want to explore. There are more and more duelling schools being built all over the world now, so maybe seeing a few different ones would be good for me."

"You mean you want to follow in Juudai's footsteps," Ryo summed up.

"N-no! Honestly Ryo, you're just as bad as my brother sometimes," she muttered, glancing away.

"Speaking of him," said Ryo, looking towards a cheerful brunette boy who was running towards them waving.

"Asuka, Ryo! Are you two having a private conversation or can anyone drop in?" he asked, though they both knew that, regardless, he would join in anyway.

"No, feel free," Asuka said, "I probably should find Junko and Momoe actually, since I promised I'd greet them at the door. They're being fashionably late, as usual…" The last sentence didn't hide what Asuka felt personally about girls who regarded being fashionably late as a good idea, even if those girls were two of her closest friends from Duel Academia.

"Always had a good sense of style those girls," Fubuki said, approvingly, "I won't keep you, then. All the more chance to catch up with Ryo before he can wriggle off."

Ryo wondered how he'd got himself into this. It wasn't as if it had been that long since he'd last seen Fubuki to begin with. He watched as Asuka excused herself and wandered off towards the entrance, where her friends would presumably turn up.

"So, enjoying the party?" Fubuki asked, turning towards Ryo with a grin on his face.

Muttering, Ryo replied, "You know how I feel about events like this."

"I know telling you to lighten up would be a waste of time, too," Fubuki joked, "Big crowds of people aren't your thing, are they?"

"They never have been," Ryo said confidently, "At least it's formal, but all that means is we have to dress in awkward clothing and be on our best behaviour."

"When have I ever been on my best behaviour?" Fubuki winked at him.

"You know how to play a crowd," Ryo answered. And it was true – Fubuki somehow always fit in at any occasion without having to change the way he acted very much. He could be at a society ball or a rave club and either way he'd look like he belonged.

Nodding, Fubuki said, "Well, this is what I do. I like these sort of things. But you came anyway, and I appreciate that."

"Why?" Ryo said. It wasn't as if this was Fubuki's party.

"Because it means a lot to her," Fubuki told him, motioning over to where Asuka was now receiving a friendly hug from Junko and Momoe, "You two used to be pretty close, but you've hardly spoke at all since you graduated. She was happy that you came to show your support as a friend. And I'm happy that you put your own annoyance at social gatherings on the shelf for her sake."

"It was just what anyone would do," Ryo answered, a little taken back by what going to this had meant to the siblings.

"You're not anyone, Ryo. And it would insult you if you thought I was judging your decisions in the same way I judge everyone else's," Fubuki said.

"That is true." It was one of the rare times when Ryo casually laughed.

"Now, let's get you to one of the quieter rooms before someone has the nerve to attempt starting a conversation with you," Fubuki added, taking Ryo's hand. On this occasion, he was allowed to.

Shaking his head and following, Ryo replied, "I don't think anyone would be that rude."

There was a lot Ryo still needed to learn about social situations.


	99. Fubuki & Asuka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After coming home for the summer, Fubuki and Asuka discuss the issues of fate and why it isn’t always the best thing.

The Hikari no Kessha… It would have been a lie to say that everything had happened so quickly, because in reality, the whole affair had been painfully drawn out over the course of the second year. But the ending of it all, that had happened quickly.

Everything was just a blur of promises, defeats and victories, the most important of which hadn't even been seen by more than a few people.

Asuka hadn't seen the moment that Juudai had defeated Saiou. She'd heard it was around the time when they were all watching the finals of the Genex Tournament, and perhaps that was a good thing. All that mattered was that Juudai had won and it was over. Everyone was safe.

But the lingering damage…

She bit her lip as she tried to focus on room in front of her. Her own room, in her own home, not at Duel Academia. For all that school was starting to feel more like somewhere she belonged than her own house did, there was something about coming back here that made her feel safe. Nothing dangerous ever happened here, and most importantly, no one had ever tried to take over her mind here either.

It wasn't that she thought it was Manjoume's fault, or even Saiou's - they had both been manipulated by something far greater, but that didn't stop her from feeling pained about what had happened. The Light had seemed so right, and even now it was gone, she still knew that she had chosen it.

There was a noise from the direction of the floor, which was enough to remind her that her brother was there. Fubuki lay on his stomach gazing off at nothing in particular. For once he wasn't smiling.

Being home probably meant something to him too. It meant he could drop the act and reflect on everything that happened to him over the past year. What had happened to him? Oh, he'd lost her. She was so independent that sometimes she would momentarily forget that other people worried about her. Though a lot of people had been concerned when she'd joined that group, she felt awkward dealing with their protective natures after she'd come back.

And there was always that other person…

She'd heard about Fubuki's duel against Ryo after she'd come back, too. It looked like she'd missed a lot of important duels, but that one she was glad to have not seen. For some reason, Fubuki had thrown his fate to Darkness to win the match. It had seemed like madness to her and she gave him a piece of her mind after she found out about it, but he'd looked at her seriously and told her that he believed that he could bring him back from the darkness by entering it himself and walking away with him.

But he'd lost.

And when she asked him if that meant he couldn't save Ryo, he shook his head and said that Ryo was never controlled by any darkness and his actions were his own. Admittedly, she wasn't sure that was entirely better, but for some reason it comforted Fubuki.

That didn't stop him from moping around her room, however. It had taken him the better part of two minutes to even register that she was looking at him, by which time she'd returned to what she had been doing before her mind had wandered.

In front of her was one of Fubuki's jackets from Duel Academia, which she had been quietly sewing up. When they were kids their mother had done this, and she had no doubts that Fubuki could do it himself, but when he'd turned up outside of her room with the garment held out in front of him, she could hardly say no.

Maybe he'd just wanted the company. Not that he was bothering to talk much.

"You said it was for the best," she said out loud, watching the white thread as the needle ran in and out.

Quietly, he replied, "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Then how is it any better at all? If he had been controlled by something, then there was a chance he could have been rescued, like both of us were. This way, we know we'll never see him as he was before," Asuka said.

"Knowing that he made the choice himself means that I can believe in him. It might not be the right thing as far as any of us can see, but the way he wants to live his life is always better than the way something else might want to. What if he was doing good, but was doing it because a force of fate made him and not out of his own choice? Would that be any better?" The last sentence lingered longer than Asuka liked.

"I guess not…" she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"Then we need to accept that this is him, and that, if he does see what he's doing as being wrong someday, then that's his choice too, but until then, he's doing what he thinks he should do. Which is always better than being controlled by something else."

Fubuki would know that better than most people, Asuka thought to herself. Except perhaps for Saiou, in whatever hospital they had taken him off to…

"Fate is difficult," she concluded.

"Fate's a bi-"

Fubuki was silenced by her glare before he could finish that sentence.

"It's done now, anyway," she said, holding up the repaired jacket for his inspection.

Getting off the floor, he took it from her, then replied, "The rest of this year's done as well, at least."

"For the best," she agreed, "Though I have to ask why you asked me to fix it, anyway. Couldn't you or mother have done a better job with this kind of thing?"

He smiled and turned to leave, answering, "I came to you because I wanted to, not because fate told me."


	100. Ryo & Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There had been rumours about duel spirits being summoned, and some students wanted to see if they were true.

"So the only time you're interested in the library is when it's out of bounds?" Ryo bemusedly asked, as the two of them walked past the bookshelves.

"Of course. Why would I go to a library any other time?" replied Fubuki, glancing over his shoulder at Ryo.

 _Not to study, that's for sure,_ Ryo answered in his mind.

Out loud, he said, "And the reason we have the lights off is to not get caught."

"Well, yeah! Chronos hardly sleeps at all, and that's on days when he isn't trying to track down students who he thinks are up to no good," Fubuki said.

"You _are_ up to no good," Ryo pointed out.

"But for the benefit of other people!" protested Fubuki, quite loudly for someone who was worried about being found up after hours, "Juudai told me that Takadera and a group of other students were doing some occult research at the beginning of the year. I just want to make sure that no one else is trying to summon any duel spirits."

Carefully, Ryo said, "The reason we're here is because you think that some kids are researching how to talk to ghosts in an educational library?"

An eager nod that was illuminated too much by the torch glow.

"I'm pretty sure the Takadera Occult Brothers disbanded," Ryo said, who hadn't known about what had happened with Psycho Shocker, but did know a bit about what Obelisk Blue students did, "And even so, they were just some guys playing with an Ouija board."

"Juudai said they called up something," Fubuki answered firmly, "And I was thinking that even if they didn't, while we're here, we could always try to su-"

He was cut off by a loud crack.

There had been no lights on in the library, but now there were no lights anywhere. They couldn't even see the small glow from under the door.

"What was that?" Fubuki demanded, and the pressure on Ryo's arm told him that Fubuki was behind him.

"The power's gone out," Ryo answered calmly, "We were due for a storm tonight and it looks like the worst of it has happened."

"Or so logic would have you believe," Fubuki said, holding the torch up to Ryo, now that he remembered he had it, "Really, this is the angry spirits wanting to get revenge on us for disturbing their slumber."

"The spirits of librarians past are indeed terrifying," Ryo replied, without any enthusiasm.

"Mock all you will, but I bet it'll only be a few moments before this torch goes out and we're left in total darkness," Fubuki said, holding it up as if it was a triumphant weapon.

The instant after he said it, the torch flew out of his hand. Whether he had dropped it or something had knocked it, Ryo wasn't clear, but he only caught a glance of the bag Fubuki had brought in the light before the thing hit the floor and cut out. It rolled away, probably under one of the shelves.

"Well, that's that. Let's head off to bed," Ryo said, heading towards the door, with Fubuki clutched onto his side.

"H-how many more signs do you need?" Fubuki whimpered.

"I'm a born sceptic," Ryo answered, shrugging and pulling at the handle…

…Which didn't open.

"Did you lock the door when we came in?" he asked Ryo, cautiously.

"With what key? I'm hardly the janitor of this place," Fubuki said, though the answer didn't comfort either of them.

Stepping away, Ryo said, "That's fine. It was probably just a self-lock. We'll look for one of the other doors or, if all else fails, wait for someone to come let us out tomorrow."

That was when the next flash out lightning came and illuminated the tall face of what could only be described as Psycho Shocker looking down at them.

Screaming as loud as their lungs would let them, both boys wrenched the door open and ran off down the corridor, not even having time to register that the door had been locked only a moment before.

After they were out of sight, there was a small laugh and Ayukawa stepped out from where she'd been hiding behind the door.

"I think that's the last of them, we shouldn't be getting anymore late night visits trying to summon anything from now on," she said, looking at the monster.

Pulling off the mask, and shaking his head, Chronos replied, "I'm almost a little disappointed that Tenjoin and Marufuji would come here for such a reason."

"I'm sure they only had the well being of everyone in mind," reasoned Ayukawa, though she doubted that Fubuki did and knew Ryo mostly followed him around to keep him in check, "Now, should we put the fake Psycho Shocker to rest?"

Nodding, Chronos put the mask down on one of the tables and walked off with her. There would be a very confused librarian cleaning it up later that morning.


	101. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki didn’t know happiness until it hit him.

When they both called each other to say that they'd been accepted into Duel Academia, Fubuki felt happy.

When it turned out that they both scored high enough to be considered elite students, Fubuki felt happy.

When he was rescued from Darkness, even after all that he had been through, Fubuki felt happy to be back.

And when he watched Ryo have his graduation duel against Juudai, that made him feel happy too, with a touch of pride added in there.

But after that, there hadn't been any feelings of happiness in connection with Ryo. Of the few times that Fubuki had even spoken to him since then, he was left feeling bitter and pained.

He kept photo albums. And surprisingly enough, he was still able to look at them and remember all the good times that they'd held for the two of them. Maybe that was why he'd found it so easy to get back in touch with Ryo after his own graduation. It was possible that part of him didn't even feel that Ryo had gone, mixed with the difficult acceptance Fubuki had made towards how Ryo lived his life now.

That distorted view summed up the present Ryo quite well. He would never be the person he had been before, but at the same time, he wasn't the same Hell Kaiser he'd been a few years ago, either. Shou had taught him the value of respect once more, and now Ryo sat somewhere in the middle ground, watching the world from that wheelchair of his. It was quite suited to him.

Even so, Fubuki didn't associate the same kind of happiness towards Ryo that he had felt in the younger days they'd had together. It was more like… gladness. He was glad that his friend was doing so well, but it didn't feel the same.

The closest he came to it was when Ryo first started to walk without the aid of the chair once again. He wasn't strong enough to manage the same kind of confident strides that he had done before, but maybe the feeling of being humbled would do him some good.

The real happiness came after that…

They were talking in one of the side rooms from the duel arena. Manjoume had set this place up so they all had somewhere to sit and catch up between Pro League matches, since so many of them would meet here by chance. For all they had been respected in Duel Academia, neither Ryo nor Fubuki were in the Pro Leagues now, but they still came here from time to time, mostly to support those they knew.

Fubuki had been talking on about his usual nothing much, when Ryo had silenced him by raising his hand. He needed space to think and Fubuki respected that. If he didn't, then their friendship probably wouldn't have lasted this long.

Ryo observed him closely, which was sort of unnerving.

Then after coming to some sort of mental conclusion, Ryo leaned forward and kissed him. It was sudden and there had been no permission asked, but Fubuki certainly didn't mind at all.

After a few seconds, Ryo pulled away and left it at that. There had been no words spoken at all, but that didn't matter.

For the first time in connection to his best friend, Fubuki felt truly happy.


	102. Ryo & Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki didn’t know what had happened to his friends and he was more than worried.

He was notably a person who hated waiting for others to pick up the phone, because he loved talking to people. This time, he couldn't stand waiting for the phone to be answered out of fear. He really didn't want to talk about this, but he didn't have a choice. Anything was better than waiting and not knowing.

On the third ring, the other person picked up, and Fubuki knew well enough to know that if this person took that long to answer, it either meant something really bad had happened or he really didn't want to talk to anyone.

For once, he hoped it was the latter.

"Fubuki?" he was enquired, through a sharp tone.

"Ryo, thank goodness I've been able to get in touch with you!" Fubuki choked out.

He hadn't called Ryo at all for a long time, for various reasons, but now he felt as if he had no choice. Because there was no one left to turn to.

The other voice sounded oddly relieved as well; "I thought that you'd have gone with the rest of them. It's good to hear that at least one of you is safe."

At any other time, Fubuki would have made a point about Ryo actually caring what happened to others, but right now he was more concerned about all the people who weren't safe.

"It's true, then? I didn't want to believe it, but people are saying the whole site of the school's just disappeared. Samejima wasn't there, but I haven't been able to get in contact with him, either," Fubuki said.

"He's busy, as is pretty much everyone," answered Ryo, and it did sound as if there was a lot going on in the background of wherever he was, "I wouldn't believe what people say about the academia, we both know that place is stranger than any rumours, but for once, they're right. Duel Academia has disappeared into a different dimension, along with all of those who were inside it. Regardless of how that is possible, we need to find out how to get everyone back safely."

"Including Asuka…" Fubuki trailed off at the thought of her being trapped.

"Yes, including her," agreed Ryo, and in a rare moment of consideration for how someone else was feeling he added, "It must be hard for you to lose her again after what happened last year."

"This time I'm powerless, but then, it wasn't me who helped her the last time, either," confirmed Fubuki, "We just have to have faith that they can protect each other in the place they've been sent to."

"And do what we can here in the meantime," finished Ryo.

There was a long pause in which Ryo tried to listen to Fubuki's breathing to determine what sort of emotional state his former friend was in.

"Ryo… I know I can't do anything, but…"

"I'll come get you," Ryo said firmly, "Just tell me where you are and I'll bring you here. Though it'll have to be quick, because Zweinstein will need me here as soon as we make contact with the other dimension."

Fubuki breathed again.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome." It was clear that Ryo felt awkward about prolonged conversations on the phone, but that was all right because he'd taken the weight off Fubuki's chest that had hung there at the thought of losing his friends again.

"I'll give you the directions, and I'll try not to waste too much of your time," Fubuki confirmed to him, for the first time trying to keep a phone call short.

After that had been done, he said goodbye to Ryo and hung up, sitting back to stare at the ceiling with some kind of relief.

Even when they lost almost everyone, there would always be a friend to turn to.


	103. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo didn’t play board games. Didn’t being past tense.

There were certain things that normal people only did around Christmas. Not particularly festive things, but just things that changing technology had ruled out doing the rest of the year round.

Board games, for example. As much as people said it was a sad thing they were dying out, in reality, most kids were too busy playing video games or duelling with the latest holographic technology to play something that involved rolling a dice and moving little counters around a board.

The only time people usually played them was at Christmas, when the kids' parents got nostalgic and found the need to hunt out some old Monopoly board from a storage cupboard for the whole family to pass some time before dinner.

That was how normal people regarded board games.

Which was why Ryo looked a little bit bemused when Fubuki marched into his room carrying a long, flat box that could only contain one of those games.

"Why have you brought it here?" he asked automatically, this being far from the first time Fubuki had come to his room carrying something strange.

"Because of what you told me a while ago," Fubuki answered, putting the box down onto Ryo's bed and taking the lid off.

"Which was?" The issue with that was that Ryo told Fubuki a fair few things, and Fubuki had a habit of mostly listening to the stuff that Ryo would rather he didn't.

Pulling out a spinning counter, Fubuki said, "About how you didn't play many board games as a kid."

"Oh, that's not a big deal." It wasn't. His family just weren't particularly the sort of people who did.

"I think it's a big deal! You'll end up dead inside if you don't play board games, Ryo. So I picked out the most fun one that I could possibly think of," said Fubuki, cheerfully.

That did worry Ryo. Fubuki's idea of fun tended to loud and dangerous. Though these were board games, what could possibly be loud or dangerous about any of them?

A large plastic sheet with multicoloured dots was held up in front of his face.

"I don't even think Twister qualifies as a board game," Ryo said, flatly.

"Come on, Ryo. Everyone loves Twister," Fubuki insisted, laying the sheet out on the floor.

'Everyone' was probably a highly exaggerated figure, but regardless, Ryo knew he probably wasn't going to get out of this until Fubuki was satisfied. Shou came from the same family as Ryo, he wondered if over in the Red dorm, Shou had to put up with Juudai forcing him to play inappropriate games as well.

"I'm not sure how you're going to spin the, um, spinner if we're both playing," Ryo said, coming close to admitting defeat.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I'm very flexible," Fubuki assured, spinning the pointer around, "Now, left foot red."

"Excuse me?"

"Put your left foot on one of the red dots."

"I got that, I'm just having trouble accepting that we're really going to play this," said Ryo, hesitantly putting his foot down where he was told.

After spinning again, Fubuki said, "Now I have to put my right hand on one of the other red ones."

He plonked a hand down confidently, all too close to Ryo's leg for Ryo's personal liking. Then he grinned up at his friend, before moving the pointer with his free hand.

"Now you have to put your right hand on blue," he told Ryo.

"But you're in the way," Ryo replied.

"That's the idea of the game, you've got to navigate around me," Fubuki said, a little too enthusiastically.

Silently, Ryo moved to do this. He tried as best he could to get to the dot without touching Fubuki, but it really was impossible. It almost seemed as if Fubuki had purposely put himself in a pose where Ryo had no choice but to make contact with him.

"Spin it again," Ryo said, wanting to get this out of the way quickly.

After turning it again, Fubuki reached a hand out to a yellow circle, and thus the game went on. Turn after turn they continued, with each position being as undignified as the last. It was no wonder that Fubuki loved this game so much; it was a perfect way to see people in all kinds of strange poses without so much as having to flirt with them.

Within a few more minutes, Ryo was faced with his next major problem, "All of the green ones are taken."

"That means you have to keep your hand in the air until a space becomes clear or you get another colour," Fubuki said, "Or at least I think that's what it means. Most people don't bother reading the rules and just make it up as they go along."

So not only were they playing something that barely qualified as a board game, but also they were playing it without knowing the rules.

Lifting his hand into the air, Ryo tried as hard as he could not to fall over. He might not approve of this game, but he certainly wasn't going to lose.

"Now, let's see, left foot yellow," mumbled Fubuki, following the commands effortlessly.

Not for the first time that day, Ryo found Fubuki's ass in front of his face. And he was starting to get the gist of why this game was going on.

He knew that when it came to outright flexibility, it was not likely that he would beat Fubuki. The boy spent so much time surfing and working on other physical fitness activities that he was perfectly in shape for a game like this. But the one thing that Ryo did have over Fubuki was cunning…

"Right, now you have to put your- …Hey! What are you doing?" Fubuki called, trying not to laugh at the tingly feeling down the side of his leg, "Are you… tickling me?"

"Just thought I'd use that free hand to my advantage," purred Ryo.

"You can't, th-that's… chea…ting!"

By the time that sentence was finished Fubuki had collapsed to the floor and was trying to get his breath back.

"You cheater!" he called, rolling over to look up at Ryo, "And I thought you were an honest man."

Smirking, Ryo pulled himself up from the board and said, "You told me that the rules were made up as we went along, so I was just making use of a hand that wasn't already allocated to be somewhere else."

"Fine, you got me," said Fubuki, taking the hand Ryo offered out to help him up, "But next time, we read the rules properly."

"Next time?"

"Admit it, you had as much fun as I did," Fubuki said.

Ryo replied, "All right, it was entertaining. But next time, we should play a different board game. Wouldn't want people to end up thinking I'm some sort of Twister addict."

That made Fubuki laugh, too.

"Why on Earth would anyone think that?"


	104. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two new additions are arriving at the academia of America.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another manga-based one.

"Do you think she's checking me out?" Fubuki asked, head darting from side to side, as he tried to make eye contact with the girl again.

"She momentarily looked at you after you spent the past minute trying to get her attention, if that counts," said Ryo, shaking his head at his friend's eagerness.

It was really quite hard to say how any of these people would react to them. Back at Duel Academia, it was a guarantee that Fubuki would have several girls trailing after him almost everywhere he went, but there was nothing saying that the students of the American academia would be the same way. Exchange students from countries that spoke a different language were sometimes viewed as being awkward to deal with, and even though they both knew some English, it wasn't a certainty that it would be good enough to cover the day-to-day student life.

This was particularly disappointing to Fubuki, who thrived on being the social centre of attention wherever he went.

The girl he'd been waving at turned completely away from them and departed, apparently having not noticed Fubuki, even during that brief moment where their eyes had met.

"Well, that's just one of many," assured Fubuki, not one to be defeated, "There's plenty of others here and I might even get a chance to see her again during class."

"You probably will," mused Ryo.

"What makes you so sure?" said Fubuki, looking at him suspiciously.

He answered, "Because I recognised her from the notes Samejima gave us before we left. She's Reggie MacKenzie, one of the top duellists here."

"Then I'll have to try extra hard to impress her," replied Fubuki, smirking.

"Can we at least find where we're staying before you create a pointless to-do list?" Ryo said, picking up the bag he was carrying and heading off down the corridor. After a few steps, he heard Fubuki walking along behind him.

Some of the students stared at them as they went. The academia uniform differed slightly from the one they were used to seeing, and even if it hadn't, there had been plenty of talk circulating about two of the best students from Duel Academia coming over for a while. Most of them were looking at Fubuki, since it was quite hard to imagine that such a lax-looking boy could be a great student. Ryo on the other hand, just gave off the right air – he always looked stern and disconnected from people, so it was easier to picture him in that role. Walking together, they just looked oddly mismatched.

Every now and then, Fubuki would wave to one of them cheerfully. Some people would half-heartedly wave back, while others would awkwardly pretend to be doing something else.

"They're a shy bunch," Fubuki commented to Ryo.

"They're probably not sure if we'll be able to understand them or not," Ryo said, noting how when they got closer to groups of students, conversations would slow or stop, as if they were trying to decide whether or not these foreign students would hear what they were saying, "Our cultures are very different, so a lot of them won't have seen Japanese people outside of movies or the like."

"Great, that means I can enact a game show and they'd just think it's what we do all the time," said Fubuki, grinning.

"Do that and you're on your own," Ryo firmly responded.

"Sometimes you're no fun," Fubuki pouted, "But it doesn't matter. All I need are my charming good looks to win this lot over."

He winked at a group of female students, who descended into giggles. That wasn't too much different from back home, either.

"Somehow I'm not sure that'll work on MacKenzie if you see her again," muttered Ryo, eyes moving from door to door until he found the one with the same number as the piece of paper he'd been given when they arrived. For some reason, the teachers had instantly thought Ryo the more responsible of the two to trust with things like finding their lodgings.

"One room for the two of us, that's a bit cheap isn't it?" Fubuki said, walking through, "Though I guess that means it'll be easier for them to find us."

"We did come at a pretty awkward time during the day," said Ryo, "That's why there weren't any teachers available to guide us. But I trust you'll be able to find anything you deem important on your own."

Smiling over at him, Fubuki answered, "I saw the beach on the trip here, and that's something I can universally understand."

"No doubt about that," Ryo agreed. Surfing was one thing that Fubuki could do anywhere in the world, providing it was possible. Language had nothing to do with it.

He started to unpack his bag, putting clothes into neat piles on one of the beds. After a moment, he felt Fubuki's frame leaning over him.

"Yes?" Ryo prompted.

"Just having a look at what you brought," Fubuki assured, putting a hand on Ryo's shoulder, "You do know we're on holiday, right? You could have brought something that wasn't related to studying."

"This is an exchange visit, not a holiday," Ryo said stubbornly, trying not to look too awkward about the grip on his shoulder.

Moving a little nearer to him, Fubuki corrected, "Even so, you're supposed to be having some fun on this. Or, since you brought nothing in that department, are you implying that we make our own fun?"

"D-don't even say such things!" Ryo protested, some colour definitely turning up on his cheeks now.

"I didn't say anything, your mind just jumped to that conclusion." Fubuki loved winding the other boy up like this.

Ryo shook his head.

"I can't believe I fell for the bait…"

"You're too easy sometimes," Fubuki teased, punching the shoulder he'd been holding up until a moment ago, "Now let's go out and socialise, before the student body thinks we're weird, reclusive people."

"They wouldn't be too far from the truth in my case," Ryo laughed.

"Nah, the way I see it, I'm the weird and you're the reclusive," answered Fubuki, walking back towards the door, regardless of the piles of clothes that had been left half unpacked on the bed.

Following him, Ryo prompted, "They'll make their own judgements on that."

"As long as that Reggie girl thinks I'm fine, it's all good with me," Fubuki said, confidently.

Ryo wondered if he should tell Fubuki that Reggie would be coming back with them one the second half of the exchange. But no, surely if Fubuki was going to get that close to her, he could find out things like that for himself.


	105. Ryo/Fubuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo had lost Fubuki once and now might lose him again.

It wasn't as if Fubuki hadn't been back for a short while already. Despite not having actually woken up, it had been at least a few days since Juudai had defeated Darkness, leaving them with this unconscious body of Asuka's brother.

Though even the shock of seeing him again for the first time hadn't scared Ryo nearly as much as tonight had done.

They were all cautious about the Seven Stars turning up, and all trying to look out for each other for when that happened. So when Asuka hadn't shown up at the lighthouse at the usual time, Ryo went straight for the hospital ward where Fubuki had been. If she was anywhere, she'd be there, and he'd sooner face Camilla again than have anything happen to either of the Tenjoin siblings.

As he got to the door, it seemed Chronos was already there, and soon after him, Juudai's group came up behind them both. For so many people to be there just by chance, something must be very wrong…

He had a gut feeling as the door was pushed open, and sure enough, the first thing the boys' eyes were greeted with as they looked inside was Fubuki's outstretched body lying on the floor next to his bed.

And in that moment, everything seemed to stop.

He'd lost Fubuki for the better part of two years, not knowing if he was dead or alive, only to eventually find a shell that seemed to have no memories of the past. But even that had been something. If Fubuki was truly dead now, then… No, he couldn't stand losing him again after being given a small amount of false hope.

Before he'd even realised he was doing it, Ryo was crouched down on the floor, holding the body, pulling him up so he could check that he wasn't… wasn't dead.

The others all crowded around and it seemed like an eternity before those eyes pulled themselves open. Fubuki was sweating wildly and in obvious pain, but at least he was alive. Ryo allowed himself to hold his form tighter momentarily.

Before they could bombard him with questions about what had happened, Fubuki uttered a single word.

"…Ti…tan…"

Titan. The man who had kidnapped Asuka before. It could only mean that the same thing had happened again.

They all knew what they had to do now, though Shou looked doubtful about taking Fubuki with them.

"He's too ill, he'll only hurt himself further if we bring him with us," he said, as Ryo helped Fubuki onto his feet.

Fubuki himself said no more, perhaps the effort of that single word had been too much for him, so Ryo spoke up in his place.

"He won't rest until he's seen Asuka safe. He's only been awake for a few minutes and in that time he saw his sister get kidnapped and told us who took her. Nothing we can do will stop him coming, and if we try to prevent him, then we could be hurting him further."

There was no need for Fubuki to tell Ryo any of that, because he knew it was true. That was how he had felt himself upon seeing Fubuki lying there on the ground, like nothing else mattered except finding out if Fubuki was all right. Now nothing else mattered to Fubuki except finding Asuka.

Realising there was no time to argue, Hayato and Juudai took him from Ryo, each slipping one of Fubuki's arms over their shoulders to help him walk faster.

Ryo allowed this. He felt Fubuki being moved away from him and the moment was gone. In a sort of reflective daze, he realised that holding Fubuki close to him on the floor probably hadn't lasted more than five seconds. Though they had to be the longest five seconds of his life.

As they all left the room, heading towards the place where they thought Titan might have taken Asuka, Ryo thought that he would never allow for his beloved friend to be lost again.

He would see both brother and sister through to the end of this year and make sure of it.


	106. Johan/Abidos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abidos was waiting a hundred years for Juudai to come here, but sometimes the world throws something unexpected at you.

A hundred years may have been a long time to wait.

He had been dead a lot longer than that. Whole civilisations had changed in the time that he had been dead, and, if he'd been a more attentive person, he could have watched the rise and fall of many rulers.

Abidos the Third, however, had not paid much attention to other rulers since his own reign had ended.

These hundred years felt longer than any that had come before. And the reason for that was Juudai.

Juudai had been the first person to duel Abidos honestly, without holding back, and he had defeated him. Then he made a promise to join Abidos in the afterlife in a hundred years time, so they could duel again.

So Abidos waited. He practised his duelling, now demanding for his guards to play against him with their real skill, regardless of whether they would listen or not. But mostly, he waited.

He checked on Juudai a lot less than anyone else probably thought he did. Somehow it felt intrusive, as if he didn't trust Juudai's promise. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever Juudai was doing was probably be dangerous, but he would not die before the hundred years were up.

There were many times while Abidos waited when he would sit by the 'portal'. This was a loose term for it, even as far as loose terms went. The afterlife was a much distorted reality affected by the individuals who came there. For that reason, describing it was difficult. It might not be that every person who came there saw exactly what they expected to see, but what they did see would probably be influenced by their culture somehow.

The portal was where many people came through to the afterlife. It was interesting to watch them and to see their reaction to arriving, though most of them would not see Abidos at all.

Why would they? He wasn't a person who had affected their lives, after all.

It happened that one day, when Abidos was watching, a boy came through. This boy was not greeted by anyone who had already died, which wasn't really a unique case, but it caught the Pharaoh's eyes, regardless. Perhaps because of how quickly he seemed to recover – the boy sprang to his feet as if dying was a minor setback.

He took this chance to get a closer look, which was fine, as long as the boy couldn't see him anyway. As he got near, the boy looked in his direction, and for a moment, he could have sworn that their eyes locked.

Then the boy offered out his hand.

"Johan Anderson, nice to meet you."

Abidos looked behind him to see if Johan was talking to anyone else, but clearly he wasn't.

Looking back at the boy, Abidos took the hand and said, "Abidos the Third."

They shook hands, then released, Abidos baffled by this person. No one had actually seen him for a long time and even when they did, they usually had a more shocked reaction to meeting an actual Pharaoh. But Johan really didn't give off any impressions that he thought Abidos was outside of the ordinary.

"It must be quite difficult to find you've come here," Abidos commented, for the sake of having something to say.

Shrugging his shoulders, Johan replied, "Not really, I just got unlucky. Could have happened to anyone."

He smiled. How could anyone who'd just found themselves in the afterlife be so carefree?

"So, you were expecting to die?" he went on, wanting to know more about this strange Johan.

"Not at all, I was being chased one moment then the next… well, you get the idea. It's always pretty dangerous hanging around with Juudai," Johan said.

"Juudai…!" Abidos's eyes widened as he heard that name.

"So you know him, too?" Johan said, "Makes sense, you look like the sort of person he'd be friends with."

"I do?"

What, did Juudai happen to have a whole herd of Egyptian Pharaohs he was friends with? Because short of that, Abidos couldn't imagine how Juudai knew anyone else who was like him.

"Yeah," Johan answered, cutting him out of his thoughts, "You don't look like anyone else I've ever seen, so you probably know Juudai."

Abidos smiled. It had been a nice way of saying Juudai befriended weirdoes.

"You don't look like anyone I've seen around here, either," admitted Abidos. It wasn't so much his clothing or even his hair, but something about Johan just stood out.

Johan seemed to take that as a compliment, answering, "It'd be boring if we were all the same now, wouldn't it? So, if you don't have anything else you're doing right now, it'd be really nice to be shown around a bit. This place is probably so big and complex."

"A lot less complex the more time you spent here," assured Abidos with a smile, "And of course I'd be willing. It'd be great to have someone to spent time with, especially someone who knows Juudai."

Somehow, he just seemed to warm to this boy. Though they had never met before, a friendship seemed to be forming instantly. Maybe it was because he seemed so much like Juudai. Whatever the reason, Abidos guessed the two of them would look very strange walking around the afterlife together.

He found himself not caring about that.

And so, Abidos gave his new companion the brief tour of the afterlife. It may not have been a hundred years and this may not have been Juudai, but somehow, even this place could throw a few surprises at you.


	107. Kenzan/Rei

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the start of Kenzan's final year at Duel Academia, leaving both him and Rei having to adjust to a few changes.

It was sort of weird being the one that was left behind.

In no way did Kenzan resent his friends, it was their time to go out into the world and make careers for themselves. This time next year, Kenzan hoped that he would have joined them himself; nothing would please him more than duelling in the Pro Leagues along with Shou and Manjoume.

But out of all of the people they could have left him with…

"Kenzan! Wait up!"

…Why had it been her?

The short girl with her mixed-up fashion sense ran towards him, stopping to catch her breath when she'd caught up. Not that he was really in a position to call anyone short, but he wasn't about to admit that to himself.

Rei Saotome had started her second year. Now a student of Obelisk Blue, though she still chose to wear her old red uniform out of loyalty to Juudai. To him, that made no sense. If she wanted to show how much she thought of Juudai, she should have had him imprinted on the back of her jacket, like he'd done once before.

"You didn't stay behind after class," she accused, scowling at him.

"Why would I? It's much nicer out here," he said, continuing walking out of stubbornness.

She followed him, replying, "We're supposed to be friends."

That was another change from last year to this: their new formed friendship. It hadn't really been until after he had returned from the Dark World that it really dawned on him that next year it would just be him and Rei. She must have figured it out as well, because for the last few weeks on the previous term they'd started to hang around with each other more and more.

Though developing a friendship on such a shallow foundation was foolhardy, to say the least. They really had nothing in common when it came down to it.

"We're not even in the same class," Kenzan reasoned, hoping she wouldn't bring up that he'd spent most of his first and second year in Juudai's class, "Your lesson finished much later than mine, so hanging around would have been pointless."

"But-"

She stumbled and cursed lightly.

"What is it?" he sighed, turning to look at her.

Wiggling one of her feet around awkwardly, she muttered, "There's a stone in my boot… How could it have gotten in there?"

"You should have worn better boots for walking in, then," he scorned, turning away to head off again.

He took a few steps before hearing her voice.

"Juudai would have waited."

That hit the bullseye. Ever since the others had graduated, Kenzan had taken the role of being seen as the best student in the academy, despite being in Ra Yellow, mostly because of his ties to Juudai. It was already a firm belief that he would be the one picked for the graduation duel when his time came.

But somehow, the boots seemed too big for him to fill.

Everyone expected so much of him. If he lost a single duel, then it started all sorts of talk. He hadn't set out to make people think he was at all perfect; winning every single duel hadn't been his aim.

Gritting his teeth, he hissed back, "You'd better get over it then, because I'm not him."

He quickened his pace, but for once, he didn't hear her call after him. For a moment he worried that he'd hurt her, but after saying what he had, he couldn't turn around again to see if she was all right. People had to see that he wasn't going to be Juudai. And if he was going to be the best student of this year, then he'd do it his own way.

When he returned to the Ra Yellow dorm he tried to stop imagining the sad look she might have had in her eyes. And as he settled down to sleep that night, he tried to ignore the voice that was congratulating him for ruining the last friendship he had here…  
  


* * *

  
The next day, he thought about waiting for her after class, but decided that was too much like admitting defeat. He was stubborn enough to want to stick to his guns.

So he went on his usual walk away from the building, towards the forest, where it was so much quieter and the wildlife was so much more interesting to look at. Not expecting for a moment that he'd hear her coming up behind him again.

Her footsteps were actually heavier today, and as he turned, it was hard for him not to notice that she was wearing boots with considerably thicker soles than the usual ones.

"Hey, sorry it took me so long to get here," she said, smiling as if yesterday hadn't happened.

"No problem but, um, what's with those?" he replied, pointing to the boots.

"It's just like you said the other day," she started, "Mine aren't really good for walking out here, so I got some that would be better suited."

He said quietly, "You didn't have to bother, it's not like you'd come out here often…"

"But you come out here. And if we want to hang out with each other, I'll have to make some changes," she answered, truthfully.

Up until she'd said that there had been no 'we' about them wanting to hang out, it had just been her. But now… she'd gone out of her way for him. It was just a little thing but it showed that she was putting effort into this. And maybe he should, too.

"All right, you can walk with me; I give in," he said loudly, "Though I can't promise it'll be very interesting."

"I can look at flowers and birds and stuff and say they're interesting," she said, pouting.

"Bet Juudai wouldn't have thought so," he teased.

"He was too busy saving us to stop and look at stuff like that!" she replied, instantly.

"Sometimes it's like having Shou back here, talking to you," he laughed, "Bet I know what you'd say if Juudai asked you to jump out of a plane, as well."

"I'd say… give me a second to get my parachute," she replied, walking on ahead.

He paused for a moment. That really hadn't been what he was expecting her to say.

Maybe this new friendship had a few surprises after all.


	108. Ryo/Fubuki and Saiou/Edo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fubuki visits Saiou. Edo also visits Saiou. Flowers and Ryo turn up in the conversation.

It had not been so much a visit as an accusation trip.

The doctors had advised Saiou not to have contact with anyone who had been involved in last year's… little event, for obvious reasons. In turn, Saiou found himself too mentally drained to want to deal with any of them anyway, so he had every desire to oblige to their wishes.

However, he didn't have a 'does not accept visitors' tag attached, so it wasn't as if he could stop people from coming to see him. Such was the case with this person in particular.

During his time possessed by the Light, Saiou had never tried to get Fubuki Tenjoin to join it. There was a very good reason for that. Fubuki had been tainted by Darkness and the whole thing seemed more bother than it was worth. But Fubuki had a sister who had most definitely joined the Light, giving the student a reason to be here.

Everyone knew that what happened wasn't the fault of Saiou as an individual. Considering all that he had done to them, they mostly seemed ready to accept that he had been possessed and wasn't in control of his own actions.

Regardless, Fubuki wanted a better look at the person who had taken his sister away.

After several minutes of sitting, staring across at him in a way that made Saiou feel like he was a circus animal in from of an audience, Fubuki said, "So what did she do in that White Dorm?"

Saiou sighed.

"She performed tasks set about by the Light, went about her daily activities under the influence of its purity and converted others to let it into them. Your sister was good at converting others," he said.

"Yeah, everyone likes Asuka," Fubuki said dismissively, "But did you hurt her at all?"

"No. Why would I have any need to?" replied Saiou, quietly.

Though Fubuki opened his mouth to reply, he was thankfully cut off by the door opening again.

"What are you doing here, Tenjoin?" asked a disgruntled Edo, stepping through as if he owned the place.

"Is there a law against coming to visit someone in hospital?" Fubuki countered, in a tone of equal annoyance.

"There is when you hardly know them," Edo said, "But then Hell Kaiser, implies that you're known for stalking, so I shouldn't be too surprised."

"For your information, I was asking him about my sister and Ryo doesn't know everything about me," Fubuki returned. That last part was added as an afterthought.

Tutting, Edo said, "Well, I'm sure you've got your answers now, so if you'd like to leave…"

"Why are you here?" Fubuki asked, more on impulse than actually wanting to know.

That was a can of worms that was better off not opened. Edo was probably the only reason that Saiou hadn't cut himself off from having visitors. Each day, he hoped that the boy would come, knowing that his career came first, making it unlikely he would show up, but there was rarely a week that went by without him stopping in at least once. The visits were always quiet affairs, Edo seeming to relax now, knowing that Saiou was finally free, in a way he couldn't relax around anyone else. There didn't need to be a lot of words, there just needed to be them. And that was how Saiou liked it.

Right now, he was witnessing the more common side of Edo Phoenix that he had put out of his mind for too long. The defensive celebrity side, with all his arrogance and snark in tact. He realised that part of him had missed that side of him from when he'd been his manager. But right now, he was tired of sitting between two boys throwing their egos around.

"Edo is a friend of mine and visits to monitor my progress," he cut in, making them both stop to look at him, "There is nothing wrong with that, surely."

"Of course not," Fubuki mumbled, trailing off on the awkward feeling that he might have touched a wrong subject.

But awkward hadn't finished with them yet, as a glance at Edo saw Fubuki's eyes fix on the present that he had brought. Flowers. Today's batch in varying shades of purple and blue. In general, Edo seemed to bring any colour of them that wasn't white, something that Saiou had noticed, even if Edo had not. They were brought to replace the ones from last week, which were now drooping due to the lack of care from the nurses, who didn't consider watering them to be part of their job.

"Is it any of your business what I bring my friend?" Edo snapped, seeing where he was looking.

"No, they just don't seem like something you of all people would give someone," Fubuki admitted, trying not to smirk too much.

"As if you can talk! It's really annoying trying to talk with Hell Kaiser before a Pro League match, only for a swamp of lame Hawaiian flowers to be dropped off. How do you always know where he's going to be duelling? And can't you take a hint?" snapped Edo, flowers being waved in front of him, defensively.

"Hints are too subtle, direct is my sort of approach," purred Fubuki.

"Then how much more direct does that guy need to be than blatantly ignoring you?" pressed Edo.

"Stop baiting him, Edo," Saiou said, sharply.

"What? Oh, fine…" Edo muttered, resigning to walk over to the vase and start replacing last week's flowers with the new ones.

"It's my fault as much as his," Fubuki said, "Arguing with people is just too tempting sometimes. But anyway, I should leave you both now. Thanks for confirming, um, about Asuka for me."

"It was no trouble," Saiou replied, nodding.

Edo didn't turn back from the vase until he was sure that Fubuki had left.

"What do they think they're playing at, asking you about things like that?" he snapped, looking over at Saiou now, "As if they don't know that it wasn't you in control during all that."

"She is his family and he was worried about her," Saiou answered, "That at least I can understand. It can be concerning when your family may not be telling you everything about what they've been through."

"You can stop looking at me like that, I get the point," Edo said.

"But anyway, no one in the society hurt Asuka in the way he was worried about and I hope that his mind has been put to rest about it," Saiou concluded.

"It's Fubuki. His mind is rarely focused on anything for more than a few minutes," said Edo.

"You seem to know a lot about him, considering how unfamiliar I assumed you both were," Saiou commented.

"As I said before, he doesn't leave Hell Kaiser alone. If I was that guy, I'd have a restraining order put on him," he answered.

"Perhaps its best not to pry into their affairs," Saiou said, slightly amused by Edo's temper.

"Didn't stop him from prying into ours…" came the response. Saiou hadn't needed to see into the future to see that one coming.

He reached forward, touching at Edo's sleeve. The motion made Edo walk closer to put less strain on his former manager.

"What is there to pry upon, really? You are as close to me as the only family I've ever had," Saiou said, referring to his sister, Mizuchi; "You're helping me through this ordeal and though I know you can't be here all the time, I appreciate any time you put a side for me."

Edo didn't respond. Veiled sarcasm was something he found easy to work with, but genuine expressions of gratitude were much harder for him. He nodded slightly.

Deciding to make it easier for him, Saiou reached over to hug the other, feeling content as Edo's arms wrap around his back. This moment was all he needed right now.

"I can stay for a while, I only got a lift here and will be making my own way back," Edo murmured into Saiou's shoulder.

"How did you get here, anyway?" Saiou questioned, out of curiosity.

"Hell Kaiser gave me a lift in. He was passing by anyway and- …oh, damn."  
  


* * *

  
Outside of the hospital, the stalker in the Hawaiian shirt swiftly approached his leather-bound prey.

"Ryo! Didn't expect to see you here," Fubuki chimed, stopping outside of the car, before the door could be closed.

"And I… definitely didn't expect to see you, either," replied Ryo, and he meant it.

"You know me, just popping in to visit Saiou and check up on him," Fubuki lied.

"He seems to be popular today," said Ryo, indifferently.

"Yeah, well it's a long walk back home, so you can give me a lift," replied Fubuki, walking around to get into the other side of the car. It was one of those limos that Pro League duellists seemed to conjure up out of the success of their career. The driver gave Ryo an odd look, but was nodded to just go with it.

"I suppose it isn't too far out of my way," Ryo answered as Fubuki seated himself.

"You're so kind," said Fubuki, "Do you like the flowers I've been sending you, by the way?"

"No, they're hideous," answered Ryo.

"You're not an easy guy to match with flowers," argued Fubuki, "They don't come in leather. But that is an idea for the future – custom made leather flowers."

"Please, don't."

"All right, fine, but I'll find something that'll knock you off your feet one of these days," Fubuki laughed, as the limo pulled away.

"Floral decoration might not be the way to do that…" Ryo said, quietly.

"What was that?" Fubuki asked, loudly.

"Never mind."  
  


* * *

  
The car was turning the corner out of sight by the time Edo had released his grip on Saiou and looked out of the window.

"I can't believe that guy, how much more blunt does someone need to be with him?" snapped Edo, walking back over.

"Some people don't pick up on hints that easily," Saiou hummed.

"You better not be referring to me, I'm really not in the mood for it," warned Edo, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He then lent against Saiou, silently daring him to question why.

Instead, Saiou settled on, "They're nice flowers this week."

"Mm, I never quite know what to get," Edo said.

"Anything is fine, I'm not fussy," Saiou confirmed.

"You don't need to be, apparently I'm fussy enough for us both," Edo replied.

"I like you that way, though," he mused.

"It's probably your fault that I am," accused Edo.

"Probably."

"Stop laughing, that isn't funny!"

"From where I'm sitting, it is," Saiou reasoned, smiling down at the boy, whose head was now slumped against his shoulder.

The silence between them now was filled with unspoken bickering that Edo was too tired to go into. It was different from their usual silence, but Saiou liked this kind, too.

The flowers watched quietly from the vase on the windowsill. A week may be a short time to live, but like Saiou, they made the most of the little time they had.


	109. Misawa/Asuka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misawa holds his child for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on the manga. I mean, it'd have to be with this ship.

As the little body was handed to him, Misawa cradled their child with more care than he ever had done for anything in his life. Not even the most delicate of scientific experiments was worth more than this little girl. A chemical combination might explode in your face if you dropped it, but if you dropped a baby, then the consequences would be much worse…

"You can relax, you know. The way you've tensed up, it seems as if you're the one who's just pushed her out of your body and not me," Asuka joked from where she lay. She was worse for what had just happened, but as worn as she was, she still looked every bit as beautiful as their baby girl did and, of course, still had her sharp wit intact.

"I just don't want to hurt her," he whispered, quietly.

She shook her head; "I don't think you could manage hurting her, even by accident."

"You can never be too careful," Misawa reasoned.

"We've got plenty of time to learn how to be careful during the next twenty years while she's growing up," said Asuka, propping herself up into a sitting position, "Now, can I hold her?"

"Of course," he said instantly, moving closer to ease the baby into her arms.

Just as the child was removed from him, he watched her tiny little hand rise up. For a moment, he thought that she was going to grasp at him thumb, but instead, she slapped her little hand against his palm.

A high five.

That had been his and Asuka's symbol of sorts. They always high fived each other – first by accident, when he'd gone to wave to her once, then on purpose, when they'd won their tag duel and many years after, they'd even traded in the traditional 'kiss the bride' moment for a good old high five.

Now it seemed that their little girl had inherited the habit, too.

As he watched Asuka cuddle their child for the first time, Misawa knew that this was exactly what he wanted from the next twenty years of his life and he'd face it with the sort of inexperienced lack of knowledge that he'd never thought about facing anything with before.

He was ready.


	110. Ryo & Shou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Shou reached out, his brother walked away.

Shou cried a lot. This was one of the first assessments that Ryo made about his brother.

From when he was a tiny baby, lying in a cot, Shou would cry all through the night. Ryo didn't blame him for this – he was just a child who wanted food or comfort or changing, without having any other means to express this – it was merely an observation.

But Shou kept on crying when he got older. Whenever he fell and scraped his knee or the other kids had picked on him in class, he would cry. Then it would be up to Ryo to deal with those problems.

The first real distance Ryo had from Shou's crying was when he went to Duel Academia, two years ahead of his younger brother. In that time, he forged his own way, even managing to make some new friends. Of course, he still worried about Shou, but without the constant demand on his attention, it became merely a nagging worry in the back of his mind, instead of the constant ringing to deal with it right now.

By the time Shou himself came to Duel Academia, Ryo had made the decision to distance himself from him, for his own good. It fast became apparent that Shou had not changed enough in those two years – he still wanted to cling and cry. So if Ryo forced him away, perhaps he would be made to grow up and learn how to deal with life, without hiding away from it.

At first, this did not go well. In the absence of Ryo being there for Shou's comfort, the boy soon found a friend to cling to and deal with all his problems for him. But Juudai was... perhaps better for Shou than Ryo was. He protected him, but not in a conscious way. It wasn't as if he was protecting Shou for Shou's sake, so much as protecting Shou just happened to be a consequence of what Juudai was doing anyway.

And this, too, came to fade.

One day, Juudai made a new friend, a friend that consumed his entire self. Someone he was so recklessly absorbed in, that everything else seemed less important in comparison. Protecting Shou might have been a fortunate side effect of various other actions, but protecting Johan was deliberate.

This didn't stop Shou from following Juudai for a while, but he quickly became disillusioned and hardened as a person because of it. He was all on his own in a strange world with no brother or friend to look after him. Crying wouldn't solve anything.

When Ryo encountered Shou after the Dark World, it was clear that his brother had grown so much. It had been happening all this time, even before Johan came along. Even when Shou had relied on Juudai, he had also had to learn to rely on himself. And now he was a better person than Ryo because of it. Shou had stepped with caution, where Ryo had leaped blindly ahead. Neither brother was wrong, they had just both approached life in a different way and yielded different results.

But when it was all over, when Shou had become the successful pro-league duellist that Ryo could not, Shou still cried. Because crying hadn't been what had made him weak as much as co-dependence had been. Crying was merely an outlet for the emotions he had become overwhelmed with.

So, he would cry while resting his head against his brother's wheelchair and Ryo would stroke his hair, comfortingly. Because they both knew that it everything was all right now and that they had grown so much, simply so they could end up back in the same place with reaffirmed conviction.

They were brothers and Shou cried a lot. But Shou was stronger than Ryo and that was fine by both of them.


End file.
